IN QINEATI CONFEREE CE. 

; . E C.Mddidon,Trinter Cirtf': 



SKETCHES 

OF 

WESTERN METHODISM: 
§tograp|)kal,-psforit3l, aitb Plsttteoil. 

ILLUSTRATIVE OF PIONEER LIFE. 

BY 

REV. JAMES B. f.INLEY. 

EDITED BY 

W. P. STRICKLAND, D. D. 

€xntxMutl: 

HUNTED AT THE METHODIST BOOK CONCERN, 
FOR THE AUTHOR. 



B. P. THOMPSON, PRINTER. 
1857. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, 

BY JAMES B. FINLEY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
District of Ohio. 



>o*f 



PREFACE. 



Our book explains itself, so far as the object we 
had in view in getting it up is concerned. To sup' 
ply a desideratum in the history of western Method- 
ism, at least, so far as taking the incipient steps in 
that work is concerned, has prompted our endeavors. 
"We have been at a great deal of labor in furnishing 
our readers with memorials of the past, connected 
w T ith the lives of our early itinerant preachers, and 
collateral incidents in the history of the west, and 
we hope our labor has not been in vain. 

Our readers will here find, as they turn over these 
pages, much, we trust, that is interesting and valu- 
able in reference to olden time ; and while they shall 
trace the life and labors of the pioneer Methodist 
preachers, in planting the standard of the cross in 
these western wilds before many of them were born, 
we hope they may be induced to engage with like 
zeal and devotion, to sustain the interests of the 
Church, and hand down to posterity, unimpaired and 
unadulterated, what our fathers have so nobly con- 
tended for in the w T ell-fought field of itinerant life. 

The noble examples furnished in these sketches, 
of untiring labor and self-sacrificing devotion of 
those who cheerfully gave up all for Christ and the 
advancement of his cause, should stir up every 
impulse of our nature to emulate their virtues and 
strive to imitate their truly-heroic deeds. We 



4 



PREFACE. 



would that our materials had been more ample for 
the work we had undertaken, that the sketches we 
have given of the pioneers might have been more 
satisfactory. Much had already perished, and the 
waves of oblivion were rapidly washing out the few 
traces that remained; but we have gathered up 
what we could, and have presented them in a form, 
not only sufficiently reliable for all purposes of 
reference for the future historian, but, we flatter our- 
selves, sufficiently attractive to render the book one 
of interest to all. 

Should our life be spared, we intend to prose- 
cute this work still further; and as the materials 
will prove more abundant as we advance to the 
preachers of the present day, we hope to give 
increasing interest to our memorials of western 
Methodism. We have already promises from breth- 
ren in various conferences, spread over what was, 
in the days of our fathers, the Western conference, 
to warrant the expectation that a full and reliable 
history of our Church, and the many interesting 
incidents connected with its rise and progress in 
the great valley of the west, can be gathered up, 
that will prove a source of instruction and deep, 
powerful interest in rousing to higher activity, in 
promoting the advancement of the Kedeemer's king- 
dom. 

J. B. FlNLEY. 

Cincinnati, May 1, 1854. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION OF METHODISM IN10 THE WEST. 

Condition of the country in the early days of Methodism — History, of 
Methodism unwritten — Privations of pioneer backwoodsmen — Pioneer 
preachers — Fathers of Methodism — Examples of heroism — Reminiscen- 
ces — Introduction Page 17 

CHAPTER II. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF REV. WILLIAM BURKE. 

His birth and ancestry — His baptism — Hears the first Methodist ser- 
mon — Fashions of that day — Philip Cox — Francis Poythress — Thomas Va- 
sey — Education in those days — Conversion — Begins to exhort — Travels a 
circuit — Returns home — Preaches during the week — Admitted on trial 
and starts for the west, and travels West. New River circuit — First preach- 
ers in the west — Remarkable circumstance — Alarm on account of the 
war — Inhabitants fled from their homes — First General conference in the 
United States — Start to the annual conference — Mr. Asbury's plan of 
travel in the wilderness — Indians discovered — Preachers at conference — 
Danville circuit — Crossing the wilderness — Conference — Hinkston circuit — 
Wayne's campaign — Bethel Academy — Limestone circuit. — Conference at 
Earnest's — Cumberland district — O'Kelly — Controversy — Mairies — Bishop 
Asbury's opinion — Attends second General conference — Chartered fund- 
Simon Carlisle — Holston circuit — J. A. Grenade — Hard times— Controversy 
with the Baptists — Change of preachers 22 

CHAPTER III. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY CONTINUED. 

A new era in the history of Methodism — Description of the men and 
means employed in the establishment and progress of Methodism — Local 
preachers — Talented young preachers — Settlement of Kentucky — First 
preachers— State of religion — Great revival — Account of by James Haw — 
Western conference — Beginning of the great revival at Cane Ridge — De- 
scription of— Revival in Tennessee — Attends the Legislature of Ken- 
tucky — Builds a cabin— Sent to Ohio to form a new district — Labors in 
Ohio — Number of circuits in the Western conference — Sickness — Salt River 
district — Salary — End of his labors 57 



6 



CONTENTS . 



CHAPTER, IV. 

MICHAEL ELLIS. 

His place of birth unknown — Converted through the instrumentality of 
Wesley's missionaries — Commences to preach — Appointed to the city of 
Baltimore — Fairfax, Virginia — Obliged, from want of support, to locate—- 
Duty of the Church — Trials of a preacher — Removes to Belmont county, 
Ohio — Re-enters the itinerant field — Appointed to West Wheeling circuit — 
His popularity as a preacher — Character of many preachers — Bishop As- 
bury's advice to young preachers — His style of preaching — Refutation of 
Arianism — Our colleague — Hard circuit — Father Walker — Pickaway cir- 
cuit — Superannuated — His death — Personal appearance ; • • • Page 93 

CHAPTER V. 

ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN CINCINNATI. 

Early settlement of Cincinnati — Presbyterian Church — First meeting- 
house — Baptist Church — John Kobler visits Fort Washington — His de- 
scription — Rev. John Collins — Preaching at Mr. Carter's house, on Front- 
street — Class formed — Rev. John Sale — Accessions from abroad — Character 
of Methodism in those days— An incident — First love-feast — Old Stone — ■ 
Old Brick — Wesley Chapel — Ninth-street — Morris Chapel — Asbury Chapel- 
Christie — York-street — M'Kendree — Bethel — Walnut Hills — Mount Au- 
burn — Union Chapel — Methodist enterprise — Other Methodist churches- 
German Methodism — Wesleyan Female College — Preliminary meetings — 
Organization — The Wesleyan Cemetery ■ 102 

CHAPTER VI. 

FRANCIS POYTHRESS. 

Early life not known — Received on trial 1776 — Conversations with Mr. 
Wesley — Appointed to Carolina circuit — Organization of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church — Presiding elder of a district — Supernumerary — Again 
made effective — Presiding elder — Mind affected — Desists from preaching, 
and returns home — An account written by Rev. T. Scott for the Western 
Christian Advocate — Notes by Samuel Williams, Esq., of Mt. Auburn 129 

CHAPTER VII. 

BARNABAS M ' HENRY. 

Among the first Methodist preachers in the west — Contempt for the 
Church — Caricatures — Specimen — Admitted into the traveling connection, 
and appointed to Yadkin circuit — No missionary society at that time — 
Bascom's description — Thanksgiving sermon — Opposition from the Bap- 
tists on Danville circuit — Persecution — Methodist preacher goes every- 
where — Success of his labors — Exclusive devotion — Presiding elder of 
Holston district— Labors increase— Active in the Cane Ridge revival- 
Took a local relation — Re-entered the traveling connection — Attacked with 
cholera— Dies— His character as a preacher— Worthy of imitation 143 



CONTENTS. 



7 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THOMAS SCOT T. 

The oldest living preacher now in the west — His birth and ancestry- 
Conversion — Enters the traveling connection at sixteen years of age — 
Appointed to Gloucester circuit — Ohio circuit — Sent to the Kentucky con- 
ference — Dangers — Danville circuit — Located — Lexington circuit — Studies 
law — Enters upon the practice — Appointed prosecuting attorney — Removes 
to Chilicothe — Clerk in the territorial Legislature — Justice of the Peace — 
Secretary of the senate — One of the Judges of the Supreme Court — Rep- 
resentative of Ross county in the Legislature of Ohio — Register of the 
Land-Office — His legal and ministerial qualifications Page 154 

CHAPTER IX. 

JOHN EOBLEB. 

Preached the first Methodist sermon in the state of Ohio — His birth and 
early religious training — Conversion and call to the ministry — Pioneer in 
the North- Western territory — Remarkable account of a lady captured by 
the Indians — Her sufferings — Escape — Kobler crosses the Ohio, and enters 
the north-western wilderness — His account written for the Historical So- 
ciety — The present compared with the past — His abilities as a preacher — 
Locates — Superannuated — Removed to Fredericksburg, Virginia — His 
spirit — Dignified bearing — His labors — Powerful revival — Sickness — Happy 

state of mind — Death 1G3 

CHAPTER X. 

BENJAMIN LAKIN. 

His birth and early training — Seeks and obtains religion — Call to the 
ministry — Life of an itinerant — Thoughts upon the ministry — Character 
of early preachers — Qualifications necessary — Lakin enters the itiner- 
ancy — Marries — Locates — No provision made for the wife — Free Gospel — 
Re-enters the traveling connection — Our acquaintance with Lakin — His 
mode of traveling — Travels various circuits — Becomes supernumerary — 
Superannuated — Preaches regularly every Sabbath — Sickness — Sudden 
death 178 

CHAPTER XI. 

JOHN SALE. 

The philosophy of history — Interest attaching to narratives of human 
life — Birth of Sale — His early life and religious training — Temptations — 
His integrity — His call to the ministry — His first circuit — A difficult 
field of labor — North- Western territory — Organizes the first Methodist 
society in Cincinnati — Extent of the fields of labor — Preachers — Miami 
district — Our first license to preach — Camp meeting on Paint creek — Rec- 
ollections of the past — Kentucky — Ohio — Superannuates — Re-enters the 



8 



CONTENTS, 



traveling connection — Enjoyments — Last sufferings — Death — His personal 

appearance — His preaching talents — Ability as an administrator of Disci- 
pline — His descendants • Page 185 

CHAPTER til. 

THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCHES IN OHIO. 

Associations connected with the first churches — Sketch from the pen 
of Rev. Henry Smith — Sketch from the pen of Rev. John Meek — Hopewell 
log meeting-house — Holmes meeting-house — Log meeting-house atOdle's — < 
Pioneers of Miami 193 

CHAPTER XIII. 

SAMUEL PARKER. 

Born in the state of New Jersey — Parents religious — Basis of moral 
character — His conversion to God — Society — A general favorite — Fine 
singer — Abandoned his wicked associates — Private member of the Church- 
Exercises about a call to the ministry — Obeys the call, and is admitted 
into the local connection — His studies preparatory to entering the itiner- 
ancy — Enters the Western conference — Appointed to Lexington circuit— 
His success in the ministry — His musical talent — An incident — His elo- 
quence as a preacher — The surprise of the Dutchman — Large district in 
the west — Meeting at the Lower Market Space in Cincinnati — Great camp 
meeting — Miami district — Sent by the bishops to the Mississippi confer- 
ence — Separation — Sickness — Death — The personal appearance of Par- 
ker 202 

CHAPTER XIV. 

LEARNER BLACKMAN. 

Born in New Jersey — The date of our acquaintance — Brother-in-law of 
Rev. John Collins — Personal appearance — Different classes of Methodist 
preachers — Style of the present day — Blackman enters the itinerant field — 
Sent to Kent circuit — Sent a missionary to Natchez — Travels through a 
wilderness — Character of the inhabitants — An incident — Stranger in a 
strange land — Presiding elder of the Mississippi district — Holston — Mar- 
ries — Visits his relatives in Ohio — Returns as far as Cincinnati — Attempt 
ing to cross the river he is drowned 215 

CHAPTER XV. 

LOST CHILD; OR, THE CAMP OF L YD I A. 

Lost children in the city — Lost in the woods — The Osborn family, north- 
east of Cincinnati — Little girls sent out in search of the cows — Lydia 
lost — Alarm and excitement — Neighbous start out in every direction — No 
tidings — Night spent in fruitless search — Her tracks discovered — Wash- 
burn — Large collection of people — Divided into companies — Washburn 
discovers where she had slept — Great excitement — Sixteen days pass 



CONTENTS. 



9 



away in fruitless search — A thousand persons on the search — Fourteenth 
day tracks found — A little cabin built by the child found near a black- 
berry patch — Excitement produced by the sight of it — Her bonnet found — 
Tracks of horses — An Indian camp — Company disband — Father continued 
the searcn as long as he lived Page 223 

CHAPTER XVI. 

JAMES AXIET. 

Meager materials for a biography of Methodist preachers — Bishop Mor- 
ris's personal recollections — Axley's early fields of labor — Bishop Morris's 
first interview with — A natural genius — Colloquy — His power of song — ■ 
Pleasantry about voting — His personal appearance — Well versed in human 
nature — An incident — His courtship and marriage — Opposition to slavery 
and whisky — Quaint sermon — An incident in the pulpit — The opinion of a 
judge — A preacher for the times 231 

CHAPTER XVII. 

JOSEPH G L E S B Y . 

The first pioneer preacher of Illinois — Jesse Walker — His labors in Ten- 
nessee and Indiana — Location — Engages in the practice of medicine — 
His zeal and industry — Re-enters the traveling connection — Superannu- 
ates — Indiana conference memoir 247 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

WILLIAM BEAUCHAMP. 

Early life and education — Literary attainments — Essays on the Truth 
of the Christian Religion — Editor of a religious periodical — Sketch of 
Beauchamp, written by Rev. T. S. Hinde — Removal to Mount Carmel — ■ 
Occupation and laboi's at — School teaching — Anecdote of a preacher who 
went to teaching — Beauchamp retires to a farm — Loss of his son — Re- 
enters the itinerant ranks — Travels Indiana district — Member of General 
conference — Sickness and death — Description of his personal appearance — ■ 
Character as a preacher 250 

CHAPTER XIX. 

GOVERNOR TIFFIN". 

His birth and education — Studies medicine — Hears Rev. Thomas Scott 
preach — Joins the Church — Call to the ministry — His trials — Is made a 
deacon <tt sight by Bishop Asbury — Practice of his profession— Elected a 
member of the territorial Legislature — Mr. Sibley — Debates — Delegate 
to the convention to form the Constitution of the state — First Governor 
of Ohio — Letter to President Jefferson — Reply — Senator in Congress — 
Representative in state Legislature — Scene in the Capitol of the state — 
Resumes the practice of his profession — His skill as a surgeon — Commis- 



10 



CONTENTS. 



sioner of the General Land-Office at Washington — Residence in Washing* 
ton — War in 1814 — Surveyor-General of public lands — Sickness — Death- 
Obituary — His wife and children Page 260 

CHAPTER XX. 

JOHN A. GEENADE. 

Sketch of Grenade by Rev. Dr. Baker — Preliminary remarks — Descrip- 
tion of early preachers in the south-west — Grenade a son of thunder- 
Nothing known of his parentage and early life — His person — A physician 
and poet — Despondency of mind — The exercises of his mind — Poetry- 
Returns to the ministry — His labors in different fields — His gi-eat zeal — 

Incident — His character as a poet ? 288 

CHAPTER XXI. 

WESTERN METHODIST BOOK CONCERN. 

Concern first established in Philadelphia — Branch in Cincinnati — Dr. 
Ruter first Agent — Wholesale establishment — First book published — Agent 
ineligible to re-election — Rev. C. Holliday — Removal — Rev. J. F. Wright — 
Demaud for books — Western Christian Advocate — Discipline changed in 
regard to election of Agents — Purchase of a lot of ground, and erection 
of buildings — First original publication — Subsequent works — German pub- 
lications — Charter — Ladies' Repository — Authority to publish certain 
books — German Apologist — Other buildings — Description of the establish- 
ment — The Editors — The Agents — Amount of business 297 

CHAPTER XXII. 

JOHN COLLINS. 

Our first acquaintance with Rev. John Collins — Prepossessing in his 
manners — Preaching in Hillsboro — Preached the first Methodist sermon 
in Cincinnati — Admitted into the traveling connection — Appointed to Mi- 
ami circuit — Extent of his field of labor — Other appointments — White 
Brown's camp-ground — Story of the lost child — Effects of his eloquence — 
His peculiarities — Incident at camp meeting — Conversion of a young 
man — Another incident — Personal appearance — Revival at Lebanon, Ohio — 
Dayton, Ohio — Delegate to General conference — Great desire to hear him 
preach — Incident at camp meeting — Close of itinerant career 317 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

NATHAN EMERY. 

Memories of our fathers passing away — Birth and early training of 
Nathan Emery— Leads a class — Licensed to preach— First circuits— His 
pious and devoted consort — Excessive labors — Location — Removes to the 
west— Sent as a supply on Columbus circuit— Re-enters the itinerancy- 
Stationed in Zanesville— Radical controversy— Opposition— Revival— Inci- 
dent— Strange things— Sent to Cincinnati— Chaplain to the Ohio Peniten- 
tiary — Delaware circuit — Declining health — Last sickness — Death.. • 33G 



CONTENTS. 



11 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE CONVERSION OF A FAMILY. 

Quarterly meeting on Knox circuit — Sermon on duties of husbands and 
fathers — Conviction — Fashion of the world — Incident — Interview of the 
father with his family — Affecting scene — Family prayer — Family join the 
Church Page 339 

CHAPTER XXV. 

JOHN CRANE. 

Place of his birth — Savage wilderness — Early Methodist preachers — 
Importance of early religious training — Incidents — Crane admitted into 
the traveling connection — Sent to the Holston circuit — Hardships — Mis- 
souri — Vast extent of field of labor — Broken down with excessive labors — 
Peace and joy in believing — Happy death 347 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

WILLIAM YOUNG. 

Brother of Rev. David Young — Native of Virginia — Called to preach — 
Sent to Mad River circuit — Cincinnati circuit — Means of travel — Personal 
appearance of Young — His manners — Exposure in riding to North Bend — ■ 
Attacked with consumption — Visit to camp-ground — Early dead 356 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE CONVERSION OF AN INFIDEL. 

"Wonderful manifestation of divine grace — Infidel of the French school — 
Influence — Sophistical reasoning — Universalist —Representative in the 
Legislature of Ohio — Family of the infidel — The daughter — Her educa- 
tion — Goes to Methodist meeting — Surprise — First sermon — Mother's re- 
proof — Trial — Conversion — Banished from home — Awakening and conver- 
sion of the father — Eliza's return — Conversion of the mother 360 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

ALEXANDER CUMMINS. 

Preaches in the beginning of the nineteenth century — His birth and 
education — Conversion — Call to the ministry — Admitted on trial, and sent 
to Brush Creek circuit — A man of one work — Privations and hardships — 
Left without an appointment on account of ill-health — The drudgery of 
teaching school — Again effective — Stationed at Cincinnati — Kentucky dis- 
trict—Returns to Ohio — Sketch of his life and labors, written by Rev. 
Russel Bigelow 372 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE CONVERSION OF A CRUEL MASTER. 

A kind master — Relations existing between master and slave — Cuff a 
valuable servant— Professor of religion— Exhortation— Wicked masters — 



12 



CONTENTS. 



A change — Cuff sold — "Whipped for going to meeting — Intercession of the 
mistress — Master convicted — Sends for Cuff to pray for him — Is converted — . 
Cuff freed and made chaplain of the plantation Page 379 

CHAPTER XXX. 

MARCUS LINDSET. 

Born in Ireland — Protestant parents — Young Lindsey comes to this 
country — Hears Methodist preaching — Conversion and call to the min- 
istry — Sent to Kentucky to travel a circuit — Big Sandy — Neutral ground — 
Marietta circuit — John Stewart, the colored preacher — His conversion — 
Goes to the Wyandott Indians as a missionary — His success — Further 
labors of Lindsey — Attacked with cholera — Decease — His character as a 



preacher 386 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

the Dutchman's experience. 

German character — Effect of religion on the German mind — Love- 
feast — Experience 395 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

JOHN STRANGE. 



A native of Virginia — Emigrated to Ohio — Embraced religion — Called to 
enter the ministry — His first circuit — Cincinnati — Faithful and eloquent 
preacher — False view of a preacher's life — Fare of Methodist preachers — 
Beautiful tribute 399 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

WILLIAM P. FINLEY. 

Third son of Rev. Robert W. Finley — Childhood and youth of— Active 
mind — Circumstances connected with his conversion — Wonderful change 
in his habits and disposition — Call to the ministry — Ways of Providence — 
Enters the itinerancy — Meets with an accident — Great affliction — Surgi- 
cal operation — Restored to reason — Fatal termination — His character as a 
preacher — Death of one of his daughters— Reflections 406 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

RUSSEL BIGELOW. 

History of his early life — Conversion — Travels Hinkston circuit — A 
marked character — Early associations — Successive fields of labor — Mission 
among the Wyandotts — Superannuated — Appointed chaplain of the Ohio 
Penitentiary — Success of his labors — Visits Ridgeville — Melancholy state 
of mind — Incident — Work done — Last sickness and death — Sketch of his 
life and labors by Dr. Thomson 411 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

HENRY B. BASCOM. 

A western man— Early life— Master spirits in Church and state— Re- 
markable youth — Quarterly meeting at Franklin — Excites the wonder of 



CONTENTS. 



13 



the people — His father removes to Ohio — His manual labor — Licensed to 
preach — Talents early developed — Saying of a grave divine — Father Tay- 
lor, of Boston — Extraordinary powers — Sources of eloquence — Blessings 
of poverty — First circuits — Scenes with panthers — Fame of the young 
preacher — Description of his power as an orator — Incident with boatmen — - 
Opinion of Bascom — Effect of his preaching — Colleges and books — Irish 
orator — Traits of character — Independence — Force of character — A slight 

tribute Page 428 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

SAMUEL HAMILTON. 

Diversity of character among ministers of the Gospel — The father of 
Samuel Hamilton — The conversion — His call to the ministry — Brush Col- 
leges — An adventure of a Methodist preacher — Hamilton's first lessons — 
His peculiar talents as a preacher — Ludicrous anecdote — Sketch written 
by him of Methodism in Washington county — Traits of character — Adapt- 
ation to circumstances — Personal appearance — Last sickness — Closing 
scene 445 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

WILLIAM H. CAPER. 

Born in troublous times — His father and mother — Removed to Ohio in 
early life — Enlisted in the army — Promoted to office — Battle of the 
Thames — Change of prisoners — Mutiny — A fearful crisis — Delivered the 
prisoners at the 'Newport Barracks — Offered a commission in the regu- 
lar army — Reply of his mother — Is converted and joins the Church — 
Enters the traveling connection — Meets one of the prisoners, then a Meth- 
odist — Exposed to danger — Hardships and privations — A mother's pray- 
ers — His abilities as a preacher — Last scenes in his life 466 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

JOHN ULIN. 

Born and reared in the wilds of Virginia — Ulin's leap — John's early 
life — Conversion — Enters the traveling connection — First. appointment- 
Description of his preaching — Gallipolis — Piketon and Waverly — Last 
field of labor — Cholera. — Affecting scene — Triumphant death — Care for the 
children — The ways of Providence inscrutable 476 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

WILLIAM PHILLIPS. 

His birth and parentage — Early training — Spends his evenings in liter- 
try exercises — His poetry — " The hypocrite unmasked " — Poetic satire on 
hog-stealing — Poem entitled "Alexander the Great; or, The Learned 
Camel" — Specimen of political life — Reads infidel books — Is awakened by 
the question of his little son — Seeks religion, and joins the Church — En- 
ters the traveling connection — His labors — Appointed Assistant Editor of 
the Western Christian Advocate— A serial entitled "Campbellism Ex- 
posed"— Character of that work— Sketch of his life and labors by the Edi- 
tors of the Advocate — His personal appearance 485 



14 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE INTEEPID MISSIONARY. 

Daniel Poe — Converted under the ministry of Rev. Abner Goff— Attended 
an academy at Worthington — Goes to Augusta — Licensed to preach, and 
enters the conference — First labors — Sent as a missionary to the Indians—* 
Perilous adventure on the ice — Brothertown Indians — Mrs. Ligram — Visits 
the Illinois conference — Volunteers as a missionary to Texas — Labors- 
Returns to the Ohio conference — Receives a letter from his wife — Conver- 
sion of an infidel — Founds an institution of learning in Texas — Preaches 
and teaches — Is taken sick — Dies, and he and his faithful wife are buried 
in the same grave •. Page 4U5 

CHAPTER XLI. 

THOMAS DBU3IHOKD, 

Born in Manchester, England — Father emigrates to the west — Youth — 
Early piety — Enters the work of the ministry — His first appointment — 
Sent to Pittsburg — Gifts — Talents — Morgantown — His labors and useful 
ness — Volunteers for Missouri, and is stationed at St. Louis — Attacked 
with cholera — Closing scene — Last words — Touching and beautiful lines- 
Rev. William Hunter's sketch — Pleasant reminiscences 510 



CHAPTER XLII. 

INDIAN CAMP MEETING. 

Christian Indians of the Wyandott mission — Indian characteristics- 
Chiefs and queens — Faith of the Indian — Religious exercises — Cruel hus- 
band — Conversion of the wife — Inhuman conduct — Visits the camp — Is 
awakened and converted — His confession — Speech of Mononcue — Other 
incidents 517 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

CONVERSION OF AN INSPECTOR-GENERAL. 

A Christian lady — Her relation to tbe Indians — Her husband — Inspector- 
General — His character — Short history of Mrs. Long — Other members of 
the family — Death of a beautiful girl — General Long at camp meeting- 
State of his mind — Leaves for the muster-field — Is convicted — Returns to 
the encampment — His conversion — Mononcue — Leaves again for the mus- 
ter-field — Plot of the officers — Unyielding firmness — Result of — Converts 
at the camp meeting. 523 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

PIONEER WOMEN. 

Patriotic women of olden time — Heroism of pioneer mothers of the 
west — An incident related by the Rev. B. Maxey — Two devoted Christian 
females — Their meetings in the woods — Surprised by a hunter — Hold meet- 
ings on Sabbath — Large congregations — Conversions through their instru- 
mentality — Arrival of the preacher — Result of the revival — Reflections— 



CONTENTS. 



15 



Another incident — The old log meeting-house — Pious old lady — Visits the 
old church every Sabbath — Two wicked young men — Their awakening 
and conversion — Waste-places of Zion restored, Page 531 

CHAPTER XLV. 

BHON-YAN-NESS. 

The oldest chief in the Wyandott nation — Among the first to make a 
profession of Christianity — Great hunter and brave man — The encounter 
of Adam Poe with Big Foot Indian and his brother — Loss sustained by the 
Wyandott nation — Determination of revenge — Khon-yan-ness selected for 
this purpose — His visit to the cabin of Poe — Kind reception — Purpose 
changed — Leaves Poe in peace and safety — His awakening and conver- 
sion — Burning and shining light among his nation — Relation of Christian 
experience — Triumphant death 540 



SKETCHES 

OP 

WESTERN METHODISM. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION OP METHODISM INTO THE WEST. 

Many years ago, during the Revolutionary struggle, 
and before the bloody scenes of Lexington or Bunker 
Hill were enacted ; before these states were declared 
independent, and before there was a President in the 
chair of the Union ; when all the western country was a 
waste, howling wilderness, untenanted except by the sav- 
age who roamed over its broad prairies, or through its 
dense forests, or sped his light canoe over the surface of 
its mighty rivers, the pioneer Methodist preacher might 
have been seen urging his way along the war-path of the 
Indian, the trail of the hunter, or the blazed track of 
the backwoodsman, seeking the lost sheep of the house 
of Israel in these far-off, distant wilds. Before the sun 
of civilization shone upon these mountains or in these 
vales, or over these prairies, or on these rivers, the 
herald of the cross, with his messages of mercy, was 
seen wending his way to the desolate haunts of savage 
man. To pursue such in their godlike journey and 
labors of benevolence, will be the object of our work. 
History may record the deeds and achievements of 
mighty warriors of olden time, effected by the sword : be 
2 



18 



SKETCHES OF 



it ours to follow the Christian pilgrim warrior over the 
fields of his labor, and toil, and sacrifice, and recount 
the victories achieved bj the cross. 

The history of Methodism in the western country is, 
to a great extent, an unwritten history. With the 
exception of a few biographies and historical sketches, 
and a few detached and scattered fragments, gleaned 
from time to time by historical societies, from the pio- 
neers who yet linger among us, but little has been made 
a matter of permanent record. A thousand hallowed 
associations start up in the mind at the mention of 
venerable names whose voices, as embassadors of Jesus, 
waked the echoes of these dense and extended forests 
fifty years ago. What mind is not thrilled and delighted 
with the adventures and incidents of pioneer life in the 
wilds of the west ? When we hear them we seem to be 
listening to the tales of fiction wrought out from a 
fervid imagination, designed only to please for the while, 
and then to pass away and leave the mind to the contem- 
plation of life's sober realities; but instead of being the 
fanciful, overwrought productions of that wonderfully 
inventive faculty, they are graphic descriptions of a real 
life, in which the simple narration of truth becomes 
more strange than the most glowing fiction. 

But what, we ask, were the privation and heroic deeds 
of daring of the pioneer backwoodsman, leveling the 
forest, or roaming the woods in search of game, when 
compared with the toils, hardships, and privations of the 
pioneer preacher of the Gospel ? If the lives of the one 
are an example to their descendants of an energy and an 
enterprise which danger and the greatest difficulties could 
not intimidate or destroy, the self-sacrificing devotion of 
the other, urged on by a spirit of benevolence as bound* 
less as the wants and woes of humanity, has left to the 
Church and the world an example of heroism abounding 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



19 



in every tiling morally sublime. Their heroic deeds, in 
bringing to the cabins of the sturdy pioneer, as well as 
the wigwams of the savage, the blessings and benefits of 
religion, will be treasured up in memory, if not recorded 
upon the page of history, and will live as long as one is 
found to recount them to the generations yet to come. 
The names of Ellis, Tiffin, M'Henry, and Burke; of 
M'Cormick, Scott, Kobler, Lakin, Gratch, Sale, Collins, 
Parker, Axley, and a host of others who planted Method- 
ism in the west, will ever have a place in our memory, 
and be handed down to future generations as those whose 
arduous and abundant labors have produced what we so 
richly enjoy; and though no splendid monuments of 
brass, or marble, or even rude, simple stones may tell 
where their ashes rest, yet in the faithful urn of a thou- 
sand hearts their memories shall live forever fresh, and 
the fair fame which they achieved on the well-fought 
field will be better than the precious ointment which 
loses its fragrance and departs with the dead. In the 
language of one, "It is a homage due to departed worth, 
whenever it rises to such a hight as to render its possessor 
an object of general attention, to endeavor to rescue it 
from oblivion, that, when it is removed from the observa- 
tion of men, it may still live in their memory, and trans- 
mit through the shades of the sepulcher some reflection, 
however faint, of its living luster. By enlarging the 
cloud of witnesses with which we are encompassed, it is 
calculated to give a fresh impulse to the desire of imita- 
tion; and even the despair of reaching it is not without 
its use, by checking the levity and correcting the pride 
and presumption of the human heart." A few of these 
early pioneers yet linger among us ; but every year their 
number grows less, and with their departure perishes to a 
great extent the history of early Methodism. They came 
here when all was a wilderness; when the "Queen of the 



20 



SKETCHES OF 



West " — where we now live to sketch their history — and 
its sister cities, consisted of a few block-houses, to pro- 
tect them from the savages, and a few rude hamlets. 
They have seen the mighty west grow up around them, 
with its towns, and cities, and teeming population ; and 
their lives are identified with its very history. While 
they yet remain we will sit by them and listen to their 
eventful history, gathering instruction from the past, and 
hope and encouragement for the future, that we may 
thereby grow wiser and better. 

As autobiographies are more interesting and satisfac- 
tory than any sketches, however graphically or faithfully 
written, we shall avail ourselves of such, whenever we 
can obtain them ; and where this is impossible, we shall 
leave no means untried to obtain the most reliable infor- 
mation from living cotemporaries. If our object were 
simply to make a book, we need not travel beyond the 
precincts of our own library or personal knowledge — the 
latter of which alone would furnish us materials of a his- 
torical and biographical character sufficient to fill volumes. 

We shall begin with the oldest pioneer preacher now 
living in the west, an octogenarian, bending with the 
weight of years, but yet engaged in active life, and 
enjoying a green old age, with health and faculties alike 
unimpaired by the ravages of time. We shall introduce 
him to our readers, and he shall speak for himself; not, 
however, with that tongue which, in the days of his 
prime, possessed an eloquence and a power that few could 
rival and none surpass; but with the pen, the silent pen, 
which he yet wields almost as vigorously as in the days of 
his youth. The venerable Burke, bending beneath the 
weight of more than " threescore years and ten " — the 
first Secretary of an annual conference in America — shall 
tell you, in his own quaint but nervous style, the history 
of his life and times. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



21 



The very presence of this venerable man, who entered 
the ministry within a year or two of the time when 
Washington ascended the chair of state — upward of 
sixty-four years ago — not only brings around us the 
heroes and patriots of the Kevolution, but the very 
fathers of Methodism, and we seem to talk with Asbury, 
and Coke, and M'Kendree; Watters, Gatch, Everett, 
and Vasey, and a host of other cotemporaries, who have 
long since passed away. This history will connect us 
with the first Methodist missionaries to America; will 
take us back to the days of Embury, and Webb, and 
Pillmore, and Boardman ; when the only home of Bleth- 
odism was a rigging-loft, in an obsure quarter of New 
York city, and a small, despised band constituted all of a 
Church that was destined to spread over this vast conti- 
nent, from the lakes to the everglades of Florida, and 
from Maine to Oregon and California. It will record, in 
part, the history of a society which, in a period of eighty- 
six years — within two years of the age of our venerable 
friend and father — has increased from a little company 
of ten or twelve to upward of a million, and which has 
more ministers, more churches, and more persons attend- 
ing its ministry, than any other denomination in the 
world. We shall, in his autobiography, see him when 
but a mere youth, the foremost of a pioneer band, en- 
countering the perils of the wilderness, which he crossed 
eleven times during the Indian war, braving its dangers, 
and submitting to its hardships and privations with a 
zeal and devotion worthy of the high and holy calling in 
which he was engaged, and which would damp the ardor 
and check the zeal of many of the aspirants of the 
present day. But we must not anticipate, and shall 
introduce our readers at once to the narrative. 



22 



SKETCHES OP 



CHAPTER II. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF REV. WILLIAM BURKE 

I was born in Loudon county, state of Virginia, on 
the 13 th day of January, in the year of our Lord one 
thousand seven hundred and seventy. My ancestors by 
my father were from Ireland, and settled in St. Marys, 
Maryland, about the commencement of the settling of 
that colony. My grandmother on my mother's side was 
born in Wales, brought up in London, emigrated to 
America about 1750, and settled in Fairfax county, Vir- 
ginia, in the neighborhood of Mount Vernon; was an 
inmate of the family of General Washington, and mar- 
ried a gentleman by the name of Compton, and settled in 
a place called Clifton's Neck, in sight of Mount Vernon. 
My grandfather died before my recollection, and left 
two sons and three daughters, all of whom married and 
settled in Fairfax county. They all became wealthy, and 
lived to a good old age. My grandmother lived to the 
advanced age of one hundred and ten, and died a mem- 
ber of the Church of England. My grandfather on my 
father's side had two children by his first wife, who also 
lived in Fairfax county. After the death of my grand- 
mother he moved to Albemarle county, where he had, by 
a second wife, several children; and while engaged in 
opening a farm, in the early settlement of that country, 
was killed by the falling of a tree. With that branch of 
the family I had no acquaintance. However, in 1810 I 
became acquainted with some branches of the family 
who were settled in Cumberland county, Kentucky, and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



23 



who had lost the original name, and wrote their name 
Burks. They were settled on the Cumberland river, at a 
town called Burksville. 

My father, after his marriage to Rhoda Compton, 
moved to Loudon county, at that time a frontier county, 
and was engaged with Washington in what was termed 
Brad dock's war. My father, John Burke, had three 
sons and one daughter, John, Mary, Anson, and William. 
John and Mary died when young. My brother Anson is 
now living in Williamson county, Tenn., at the advanced 
age of eighty-six. He had four sons and one daugh- 
ter, all living around him, except William Wesley, who 
came to Cincinnati, Ohio, and died here in 1849. My 
father, at the commencement of the Revolution, took the 
side of liberty, and was among the first who enrolled his 
name under Colonel Leven Powell, as a minute man, and 
was in that service one year at Hampton, Virginia, and 
again at Yorktown, at the taking of Cornwallis, where 
he suffered every thing but death. During the summer 
of 1775, while my father was at Hampton, the first Meth- 
odist preacher visited Loudon county; namely, Joseph 
Everett. My mother went some considerable distance to 
hear him, in hopes to meet with some intelligence from 
my father. I have no recollection of hearing any more 
of the Methodists till 1780, when Philip Cox commenced 
preaching at Bacon Fort old church, the parish in which 
my father then lived, and in which I was baptized. 
There being no parson at that time, the Methodists were 
allowed to preach in the church. I was then ten years 
old, and can recollect many circumstances that transpired 
during that year. It was the fashion at that day for the 
ladies to wear enormous high rolls on the head, and a 
report had been in circulation for some time that a calf 
had been born near Alexandria with one of those rolls 
on its head. P. Cox gave out that the next time he came 



SKETCHES OF 



round, in four weeks, he would show them a wonder, 
The whole country was in expectation that he would 
exhibit the calf, and a great concourse of people assem- 
bled. The preacher arrived, but instead of the calf he 
commenced by giving out his text: "And there appeared 
a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun," 
etc. This gained the attention of the multitude : and from 
that time Methodism took root in that section of country. 

In 1781 Francis Poythress and Michael Ellis were 
stationed on the circuit; and in the winter of 1781 and 
1782, under the preaching of Mr. Ellis, I was strangely 
and deeply affected; but it wore off by degrees; for at 
that time I was going to school, where we had but little 
of religion taught. My father and mother joined the 
society at RoyelPs, Bacon Fort old church, in the early 
part of 1780. Nothing very special occurred that waked 
up my attention till the summer of 1784, when it was 
given out that Thomas Vasey, one of the newly-ordained 
preachers, was to preach in Leesburg. He preached in 
the court-house to a very large concourse of people; and 
numbers who had been in the habit of hearing the Meth- 
odists preach, were astonished to hear him perform the 
morning service as laid down in the Methodist prayer- 
book. The practice and the book have long since been 
laid aside. The means of education were very limited in 
those days, and in that part of the country; consequently, 
I was limited to what was then called an English educa- 
tion, all of which I completed in the years 1785 and 1786. 

In the spring of 1787 my father determined to remove 
to the state of Georgia. "We accordingly set out early in 
the spring. The preceding year had been very unfavora- 
ble for crops in the south; and having arrived in North 
Carolina, not far from Guilford court-house, we fell into 
a neighborhood of Virginians, from Fairfax county, and 
with whom my father and mother had been acquainted. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



25 



ard they persuaded us to spend the summer with them. 
We did so, with the intention of going to Georgia the 
next spring ; but my father being pleased with the coun- 
try, determined to settle himself in North Carolina, and 
accordingly purchased a tract of land in one mile of the 
high ford, Haw river. In the neighborhood I formed 
new associations, became very profligate and vain, and 
entered fully into all the amusements of the day. My 
dear mother was very pious, and I was her darling boy. 
The course I was then pursuing gave her much pain and 
affliction. She used every means in her power to dis- 
suade me from it, and used to pray for me day and night. 
In the latter part of the year 1790 I was awakened under 
the preaching of Isaac Lowe. In the fall of that year 
the society established a weekly prayer meeting, and I 
was a constant attendant, and had formed the resolution 
never to stop short of obtaining experimental religion. 

The practice then among the Methodists was to call 
upon all the seekers of religion to pray in public at the 
prayer meeting. I was called upon, and took up my 
cross, and continued to pray at every prayer meeting. In 
the month of February, 1791, after the preacher con- 
cluded, he opened the door to receive members. I went 
forward alone and gave my name, and there was great joy 
manifested at the return of so great a prodigal, and I 
was the first-fruits of a great revival. In the month of 
March I attended a quarterly meeting at Smith's meeting- 
house, on Guilford circuit. On Saturday and Saturday 
night I was in great distress, and slept but little. On 
Sunday morning early I betook myself to the woods and 
wandered about and prayed earnestly for deliverance. 
At nine o'clock the love-feast began. I can not recollect 
much that was done. I fell senseless to the floor, and 
the first I can recollect I was on my feet giving glory to 
God in loudest strains, to the astonishment of many. 

3 



26 



SKETCHES OF 



After my ecstasy was over, and I came to reflect, my load 
of sin was gone. I felt no more condemnation, but could 
not say that I was born again. In this situation I 
remained for eight days; and on the next Sunday even- 
ing, after having returned from meeting, I betook myself 
to the woods, and at the root of a large whiteoak-tree, 
while engaged in prayer, God gave me the witness of the 
Spirit, and from that moment I went on my way rejoicing. 
We continued our prayer meeting with increasing inter- 
est, and very soon one and another would get converted, 
and our meetings would sometimes continue all night. 
The class-leader, who in those days would open and con- 
duct the prayer meeting, put me forward to open the 
meetings, and I commenced after prayer to give an 
exhortation. The heavenly flame spread through the 
neighborhood, and the neighboring classes caught the 
holy fire, and in a short time hundreds attended our 
night meetings. I have often walked five and six miles 
to a night meeting, and spent the whole night, while the 
mourners were down in the house and all over the yard, 
crying mightily to Grod for mercy. That year George 
M' Kinney, a son of thunder, was sent to G-uilford circuit, 
who entered fully into the work, and great numbers were 
added to the Church. In the month of June of this 
year, I made my first attempt at preaching from a text. 
The words were, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and 
the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return 
to the Lord, who will have mercy upon him, and to our 
God, who will abundantly pardon." I had great liberty, 
and found favor in the eyes of the people. I continued 
to exercise my gift in exhortation and preaching when- 
ever opportunity presented. In the month of August I 
attended a quarterly meeting at the Hawfield, New Hope 
circuit, at the Tartemele. There was a great collection 
of people on Sunday. Thomas Ware was elder; but 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



27 



Thomas Bowen was at the quarterly meeting on a tour 
south, and preached the first sermon on Sunday; and at 
the close of the sermon they set me up to exhort. I had 
a voice like thunder, and it seemed as though there was 
a fire in my bones. The dry bones began to tremble, 
and sinners began to leave the house; the fire was too 
warm for them. Upon the whole, we had a good time. 
Many in that quarter had never seen the like before. 
Brother Isaac Lowe was then traveling on New Hope 
circuit. He was a married man, and his family lived in 
the neighborhood of my father's, and we returned in com- 
pany home. In the fall, at the beginning of October, 
brother Lowe insisted that I should accompany him 
round New Hope circuit. Accordingly, I arranged my 
business so as to make the tour of six weeks. We went 
on together, preaching time about, till he was taken 
sick and returned home, and left me to complete the 
round. I did so, and then returned home, where I 
found him recovered from his illness. One of the 
preachers had left Guilford circuit and gone home. I 
was requested to take his place. I did so, and traveled 
that winter on that circuit. On one of my rounds I fell 
in with Thomas Anderson, the presiding elder. He 
inquired if I had any permit to exhort or preach. I told 
him I had not, and before we parted he gave me a license, 
which was the only license I ever had, till my name was 
on the minutes of the annual conference. The annual 
conference for that year was at M' Knight's, on the Yad- 
kin river, on the second of April. There was no formal 
application made by me to travel, and no vacancy offering, 
I returned home, and had thoughts of settling myself for 
life, and began to make preparations for building a house 
and opening a farm j but my mind was not at rest. Dur- 
ing the summer and fall I used to preach three, four, and 
five times a week, and ride forty and fifty miles. The 



28 



SKETCHES OF 



conference for this year was held at Green Hills, at which 
conference I was admitted on trial, and appointed to West 
New River circuit, on the head waters of the Kanawha 
river, in the state of Virginia. On my way to my ap- 
pointment I stopped at home a few days, and having fur 
nished myself with several suits of clothes, I started aL 
alone for the west, crossed the Blue Ridge at the Flowei 
Gap, entered the circuit at brother Forbes 7 s, on what was 
called the Glades, lying between the Blue Ridge and New 
river. This was about the first of February, 1792. This 
was a four weeks' circuit, and between four and five hun- 
dred miles round. It extended in length from the three 
forks of New river, over the Alleghany Mountains, on the 
waters of Roanoke; and from north to south from Walk- 
er's creek to the Glades, near the Blue Ridge. The 
country is very mountainous, high and cold; and in 
Montgomery, Wythe ; and Grayson counties it is too cold 
to produce Indian corn with any degree of certainty. 
Rye was produced in great abundance. 

The first preachers that visited that country was in the 
year 1783. It was then called the Hoiston country. 
The head waters of the South Fork of the Hoiston ex- 
tended as far east as Wythe and the borders of Grayson 
counties, extending west as far as the Three Islands. In 
this tract of country the first preachers began their opera- 
tions. They were Jeremiah Lambert, Henry Willis, Mark 
Whitaker, Mark More, and Reuben Ellis, the elder 
The district included Salisbury and Yadkin circuits, ifl 
North Carolina, and Hoiston in the west. In 1787 the 
Hoiston circuit was divided into two circuits, Hoiston 
and Nolachucky, and Philip Bruce appointed elder. 
Two new preachers were sent — Jeremiah Masten and 
Thomas Ware — in 1788. Two new circuits were made 
out of the old ones this year; the Hoiston circuit, em- 
bracing all the settlements on the East and North Forks of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



29 



Holston, and all the settlements on the Clinch river, 
including the comities of Washington and Russell, in 
Virginia, and Blount county, in the Western territory. 
French Broad included all the settlements west and south 
of the main Holston to the frontiers bordering on the 
Cherokee nation. West New river was this year made a 
circuit, and Greenbriar added, which was composed of 
the new settlements on Greenbriar river, and part of 
the head waters of the James river ; Edward Morris 
elder 

In 1789 John Tunel was presiding elder and Bottetourt 
circuit added. In 1790 two districts were formed; one was 
composed of West New River, Russell, Holston, and Green 
circuits — Charles Hardy presiding elder. This year John 
M'Gee and John West were on Green circuit; John West 
is still living in the bounds of the Pittsburg conference. 
Bottetourt, Greenbriar, and Kanawha circuits — Jeremiah 
Able presiding elder. This year the Little Kanawha cir- 
cuit was formed, and Jacob Lurton was the preacher in 
charge. In 1793 he was on Salt River circuit, Kentucky, 
and married a Miss Tooley, on Bear Grass, Jefferson 
county, and located, and for many years lived on Floyd's 
Fork of Salt river. He was an original genius, and a use- 
ful preacher. In 1791 Mark Whitaker was presiding 
elder, and Charles Hardy and John West were on the 
West New River circuit. Charles Hardy located this 
year, and the latter part of the year I succeeded him. 
John West remained with me on the circuit till the Hol- 
ston conference, on the 15th of May, 1792. Nothing 
material transpired while on this circuit. The state of 
religion was at a low ebb in all the circuits. Most of the 
preachers had not been much in the work for several 
years, and Discipline had been much neglected. Mr. 
Asbury, on his return from the Kentucky conference, met 
the conference at Huffaker's, Rich Valley of Holston, on 



30 



SKETCHES OF 



the 15th April, 1792. Hope Hull, who had accompanied 
him from Georgia, and Wilson Lee, who was now return- 
ing from Kentucky, and accompanying the Bishop on to 
the east, were with him. Both preached at this confer- 
ence with great success. General William Russell, who 
had married the widow of General Campbell, and sister 
of Patrick Henry, who had embraced religion, together 
with his amiable lady, and who lived at the salt-works, on 
the North Fork of Holston, attended this conference 
and accommodated a number of the preachers. Upon 
the whole, we had a good time for those days. Stephen 
Brooks, from the Kentucky conference, was appointed to 
Green circuit, in charge, and I was appointed with him. 
and Barnabas M'Henry, who came also with the Bishop 
from Kentucky, was the presiding elder. Yfe had an 
entire set of new preachers for the whole district — Sala- 
thiel Weeks and James Ward on the Holston circuit, 
both from Virginia; David Haggard, Daniel Lockett, 
and Jeremiah Norman, from North Carolina. Brother 
Norman was on Russell, and brothers Haggard and 
Lockett on West New River. The presiding elder and 
all the preachers entered into a covenant to attend 
strictly to the Discipline. When brother Brooks and 
myself arrived at our charge, which was in a few days 
after the conference rose, we mutually agreed to enforce 
the rules of the society; and by midsummer we had the 
satisfaction of seeing a gracious work in many places on 
the circuit. 

A very peculiar circumstance took place some time in 
July. On Nolachucky there was a rich and thickly- 
settled neighborhood, which afterward went by the name 
of Earnest's neighborhood. There was but one Methodist 
in the neighborhood, the wife of Felix Earnest, who 
attended preaching when she could, being about five or 
six miles distant from the appointment. Felix was a 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



31 



very wicked man. Being one day at a distillery, and 
partially intoxicated, the Spirit of God arrested him. 
He immediately went home, and inquired of his wife if 
she knew of any Methodist meeting any where on that 
day. It happened to be the day that brother Brooks 
preached, in the adjoining neighborhood, and he imme- 
diately put off for the meeting. He arrived there after 
meeting had begun, and stood in the door, with his shirt- 
collar open, and his face red, and the tears streaming- 
down his cheeks. He invited brother Brooks to bring 
preaching into the neighborhood. He did so, and in two 
weeks I came round and preached to a good congregation. 
The word of God had free course, and was glorified. 
The whole family of the Earnests was brought into the 
Church, with many others, and by the first of Sep- 
tember we had a large society formed. I left the circuit- 
in September, but the work continued. In a short time 
they built a meeting-house; and in the spring of 1795 the 
Western conference had their annual sitting at the meet- 
ing-house, and Felix was a local preacher. Our second 
quarterly meeting was in the beginning of August, at the 
Pine Chapel, south of the French Broad river, and below 
the mouth of Little Pigeon river. It was a good time. 
It was given up by all that it was the best love-feast that 
they had ever seen. On my next round, which was in 
September, the Cherokee war was just breaking out. 
After I crossed the French Broad and Little rivers, and 
arrived at the extreme point of the settlement, I found 
the inhabitants in a state of alarm on account of the war 
I preached that day, and at night the whole neighbor- 
hood collected, bringing intelligence that the Indians 
were in the settlement. In the morning I started for my 
next appointment, on the south bank of Little river, 
having a guard of two brothers, who piloted me through 
the woods part of the way; but becoming alarmed for 



32 



SKETCHES OF 



the safety of their families, left me to make the best of 
my way. I arrived a little before noon, but found it 
would be impossible to collect a congregation. The peo- 
ple were moving in and concentrating at a certain point, 
for the purpose of fortifying, and by night we were the 
frontier house. After dark the lights were all put out, 
and each one sat down with his gun on his lap. One of 
the company started about nine o'clock to go where the 
Indians -ft ere collected for fortifying; but soon returned, 
and said the Indians were plenty in the neighborhood. 

I immediately determined to make my journey to the 
next preaching-place, which was about ten miles, and I 
was obliged to travel under cover of the night; but I had 
one difficulty to encounter, having nothing but a small 
path, and the river to cross, and an island to reach in the 
river. The night was dark, and the timber very thick on 
the island, and I could not prevail on any of them to 
leave the house or give me any assistance; however, I 
put my trust in God and set off. After having passed 
the first part of the river I alighted from my horse, and 
undertook to keep the path on foot. I succeeded beyond 
my expectation, reached the shore at the proper point, 
and proceeded without meeting with any difficulty. 
About two o'clock I arrived at the house, where my 
appointment was for that day, proceeded to the door, and 
sought admittance, but found no inmates. I knew there 
were cabins on the opposite side of a marsh, and I com- 
menced hallooing as loud as I could. I soon brought 
some of them out, who wished to know who I was, and 
what I wanted. They suspected that the Indians wished 
to decoy them, and were preparing to give me a warm re- 
ception of nowder and lead, when the lady, at whose house 
we preached, came out and knew my voice. They then 
came over and conducted me to the place where the whole 
neighborhood was collected, and the next day I recrossed 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



33 



the French Broad river, which placed me be} T ond the 
reach of danger. I passed up through the circuit, leav- 
ing the frontier appointments on the south side of the 
river, which were Pine Chapel, Little and Big Pigeon. 
The first intelligence I had from that quarter was, that- 
all the inhabitants in the neighborhood of the Pine 
Chapel were massacred in one night by the Indians. 

The first General conference in the United States met 
late in the fall of this year. The presiding elder and S. 
Weeks, from the Holston circuit, both left for the Gen- 
eral conference; and the presiding elder moved me from 
Green circuit and put me in charge of the Holston, and 
sent brother J. Ward to fill my place. Brother Ward 
had but moderate talents, but was a devoted and good 
man; and through his instrumentality good was done on 
the Holston circuit. In the neighborhood of the Salt- 
W orks a number had been added to the Church. Among 
the number was the heiress, Miss Sally Campbell, daugh- 
ter of General Campbell, who distinguished himself at 
the battle of King's Mountain. Her mother, Mrs. Bus- 
sell, had, for some time, been a member of the Church, 
and was among the most excellent ones of the earth. 
Late in the fall of this year General Bussell and family 
made a visit to the eastern part of Virginia, among their 
old friends and relations. The General was taken sick 
and died. His daughter, Chloe Russell, had just married 
a circuit preacher by the name of Hubbard Saunders. 
During their visit Miss Sarah Campbell was married to 
Francis Preston, Esq., of Virginia, whose son is now 
senator in Congress from South Carolina. The surviving 
part of the family did not return during my stay on the 
circuit. We had some good times on our field of labor, 
at Baker's, near the Three Islands, and at Acuff's. 1 
remained on the circuit till Christmas, when, by the 
direction of the presiding elder, brother Norman and 



34 



SKETCHES OF 



myself changed, and I was on Clinch circuit. This was a 
frontier circuit, the whole north side of it being exposed 
to the savages. On this circuit I first began to eat bear- 
meat, and buffalo tongues. I entered this circuit with a 
determination, by the help of Grod, to have a revival of 
religion, and in some degree succeeded. It was a three 
weeks' circuit, and I was alone, without even a local 
preacher to help me. Through the winter we had a con- 
siderable revival at Elk Garden, head of Clinch river, at 
Bickleys Station, and at several other preaching-places. 
On the last Saturday and Sunday in March, 1793, we 
held our quarterly meeting at Bickley's Station. We had 
a good time. During the past year we had many conflicts, 
a new country Indian warfare going on all the winter on 
our southern borders. The preachers had received about 
enough quarterage to keep soul and body together. On 
Monday morning, after the quarterly meeting, I started 
for the annual conference, which met on the third day of 
April. We met Bishop Asbury and William Spencer, 
from the Virginia conference, and Henry Hill, from 
North Carolina. The conference business concluded on 
Saturday; Sunday was taken up in preaching; and on 
Monday morning we started for Kentucky. Several of 
our friends volunteered to guide us through the wilder- 
ness. Francis Asbury, Barnabas M' Henry, Henry Hill, 
James Ward, and William Burke were all the preachers. 
These, together with some who met us at Bean's Station, 
on Holston, made our company up to sixteen. We were 
all pretty well armed except the Bishop. It was about 
one hundred and thirty miles through the wilderness, 
with but one house in Powell's Yalley, where we staid 
the first night. Next morning, by sunrise, we crossed 
Cumberland Mountain, and entered into the bosom of the 
wilderness. 

I will here introduce a plan that Mr. Asbury suggested 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



35 



before we left the settlements. It was to make a rope 
long enough to tie to the trees all around the camp when 
we stopped at night, except a small passage for us to 
retreat, should the Indians surprise us ; the rope to be so 
fixed as to strike the Indians below the knee, in which 
case they would fall forward, and we would retreat into 
the dark and pour in a fire upon them from our rifles. 
We accordingly prepared ourselves with the rope, and 
placed it on our pack-horse. We had to pack on the 
horses we rode corn suflicient to feed them for three days, 
and our own provisions, beside our saddle-bags of clothes. 
Through the course of the day nothing material transpired 
till very late in the afternoon, say less than an hour before 
sunset, when passing up a stony hollow from Eichland 
creek, at the head of which was the war-path from the 
northern Indians to the southern tribes, we heard, just 
over the point of a hill, a noise like a child crying in 
great distress. We soon discovered there were Indians 
there, and the reason why they used that stratagem to 
decoy us was, that a few days before they had defeated a 
company, known for a long time as M'Farland's defeat, and 
a number were killed, and several children supposed to be 
lost in the woods. We immediately put whip to our horses, 
and in a few minutes crossed the ridge and descended to 
Camp creek about sunset, when we called a halt to con- 
sult on what was best to be done ; and on putting it to 
vote whether we proceed on our journey, every one was 
for proceeding but one of the preachers, who said it 
would kill his horse to travel that night. The Bishop all 
this time was sitting on his horse in silence, and on the 
vote being taken he reined up his steed and said, " Kill 
man kill horse, kill horse first j" and in a few minutes we 
made our arrangements for the night. The night being 
dark, and nothing but a narrow path, we appointed two to 
proceed in front, to lead the way and keep the path, and 



36 



SKETCHES OF 



two as a rear guard, to keep some distance behind and 
bring intelligence every half hour, that we might know 
whether they were in pursuit of us; for we could not go 
faster than a walk. They reported that they were follow- 
ing us till near twelve o'clock. We were then on the 
Big Laurel river. We agreed to proceed, and alighted 
from our horses and continued on foot till daybreak, when 
we arrived at the Hazel Patch, where we stopped and 
fed our horses, and took some refreshment. We were 
mounted, and on our journey by the rising of the sun; 
but by this time we were all very much fatigued, and we 
yet had at least between forty and fifty miles before us for 
that day. That night about dark we arrived at our good 
friend Willis Green's, near Stanford, Lincoln court-house, 
having been on horseback nearly forty hours, and having 
traveled about one hundred and ten miles in that time. 
I perfectly recollect that at supper I handed my cup for 
a second cup of tea, and before it reached me I was fast 
asleep, and had to be waked up to receive it. Part of us 
remained at Mr. Green's over Sunday, and preached at 
several places in the neighborhood. The Bishop and 
brother M'Henry proceeded on next morning to attend a 
quarterly meeting at brother Francis Clark's, on the 
waters of Salt river, six miles west of Danville. 

On the 15th of April, 1793, the conference met at 
Masterson's Station. Preachers present, Francis Asbury, 
bishop; Francis Poythress, Henry Burchet, Jacob Lur- 
ton, James Ward, John Page, John Ball, Richard Bird, 
Benjamin Northcott, and William Burke. Barnabas 
M'Henry, from the Holston district, and Henry Hill, 
who traveled with Bishop Asbury, were also present. 
Nine preachers in all for Kentucky and Cumberland 
included, Nashville and the three counties of Davidson, 
Sumner, and Robinson, including a few settlements in 
Kentucky, in the neighborhood where Russelville is now 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



situated. We received our appointments at the close of 
the conference, and separated in love and harmony. I 
was this year appointed to Danville circuit, in charge, 
and John Page as helper. We entered upon our work 
with a determination to use our best endeavors to pro- 
mote the Redeemer's kingdom. The circuit was in but a 
poor condition. Discipline had been very much neg- 
lected, and numbers had their names on the class-papers 
who had not met their class for months. We applied 
ourselves to the discharge of our duty and enforced the 
Discipline, and, during the course of the summer, dis- 
posed of upward of one hundred. We had some few ad- 
ditions, but, under God, laid the foundation for a glorious 
revival, the next and following years. The bounds and 
extent of this circuit were large, including the counties of 
Mercer, Lincoln, Garrard, and Madison ; the west part of 
the circuit included the head waters of Salt river, and 
Chaplin on the north, bounded by Kentucky river south 
and east, and extended as far as the settlements — taking 
four weeks to perform the round. There were three log 
meeting-houses in the circuit; one in Madison county, 
called Proctor's Chapel; one in the forks of Dix river, 
Garrett's meeting-house; and one on Shoenea run, called 
Shoney run. Not far from Harrod's Station, in Mercer 
county, during the course of this year, a new meeting- 
house was erected in Garrard county, considered the best 
meeting-house in the country, and they named it Burke's 
Chapel. I remained on Danville circuit till the first of 
April, 1794, and on the fifteenth our conference com- 
menced at Louis's Chapel, in Jessamine county, in the 
bounds of Lexington. 

Previous to the meeting of the conference we raised a 
company of twelve persons to proceed to the seat of the 
conference, for the purpose of guarding Bishop Asbury 
through the wilderness We met a company at the 



38 



SKETCHES OF 



Crab Orchard, the place where we usually met by adver- 
tisement, circulated for the purpose of collecting a suffi- 
cient number for mutual protection against the Indians. 
The company, when assembled, consisted of about sixty, 
all well armed. We organized that night, and I was ap- 
pointed commander. In the morning, all things being 
in readiness for our departure, we proceeded through the 
wilderness. The day previous there had started a large 
company, and among the number there were four preach- 
ers, two Baptist and two Dunkards. The company, with 
whom they traveled, had treated them in such an ungen- 
tlemanly and unchristian manner during the first day and 
night, that on the morning of the second day they all 
four started in advance, and had not proceeded more than 
one mile before they were surprised by a party of Indi- 
ans, and all four killed and scalped, and their horses and 
all they had taken off by the Indians. "We camped the 
first night not far from Big Laurel river, and next morn- 
ing passed the place where the dead bodies of the preach- 
ers were thrown into a sink-hole and covered in part with 
some logs, and the wild beasts had torn and mangled 
them in the most shocking manner. That day we crossed 
the Cumberland river, and passed up the narrows to Tur- 
key creek, and camped on the bank. I had not slept on 
any of the two preceding nights, and that night I intended 
to take a good sleep. Accordingly, after placing out the 
sentinels and securing my horse, I spread my saddle- 
blanket and my saddle and saddle-bags for my pillow, and 
laid me down close to my horse, and was, in a few min- 
utes, sound asleep. It was not an hour before the com- 
pany was alarmed. Some said they heard Indians, others 
affirmed that they heard them when cutting cane for their 
horses, and heard their dogs barking at their camp up 
the creek; and before they awakened me the greater part 
of the company were on their horses and had left the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



39 



sentinels at their posts. Such was the panic that I im- 
mediately harnessed up my horse and mounted him, and 
had the guards brought in. The night was very dark, 
and we had to cross the creek immediately. The bank 
was very steep, and we had to cross in Indian file; and 
before all passed over the bank became very slippery, and 
the horses would get nearly to the top and slide back 
into the creek again. I was in front, and the word would 
pass along the line, "Halt in front." At length all got 
safely over, and we proceeded about four miles to Cannon 
creek. The night being very dark, and finding great 
difficulty to keep the path, I ordered a halt, and directed 
every man to turn out to the left and alight and hold his 
horse by the bridle. They accordingly did so, and I threw 
the reins of my bridle over my arm and laid down at the 
root of a beech-tree, and was soon asleep. I had previ- 
ously given orders that we should form one hour before 
daybreak and be on the road, in order to elude the Indi- 
ans, should they be in pursuit of us. We did so, and 
crossed the Cumberland Mountains early in the morning, 
and that night arrived at Bean's Station, near the Hol- 
ston river, where we met the intelligence that Bishop 
Asbury, in consequence of ill health, could not attend 
the conference in Kentucky. 

A large collection of emigrants was already met for the 
purpose of crossing the wilderness. The number was 
about one hundred and twenty, together with a great- 
number of pack-horses. On the next morning we started 
in Indian file, pack-horses and all, making a line about a 
mile in length. It was determined by the company that 
the guard which had come through to meet the Bishop 
should bring up the rear. Nothing transpired through 
the course of the first day or night worthy of notice. 
Early on the second day we came to the ford of the Cum- 
berland river; it was very much swollen, and when the 



40 



SKETCHES OF 



front of the company arrived at the bank of the river, 8 
party of Indians being on the opposite shore fired upon 
them ; but the distance was snch that no injury was done. 
None had courage to attempt crossing over, and when we, 
who were in the rear, came up, the whole company was 
crowded together, and many, both men and women, were 
as pale as death, and some weeping, not knowing what 
course to take. I immediately called out for volunteers, 
who would venture to cross the river. Out of the whole 
company we could only get eleven to undertake the haz- 
ardous duty. On our arriving at the opposite bank we 
alighted from our horses and took trees and awaited the 
approach of the Indians. None appearing we proceeded 
to the top of the bank; finding the course clear we beck- 
oned them to proceed crossing, while we stood guard. 
No accident occurred through the remainder of that day. 
At night we encamped in an unfavorable position — a 
heavy thunder-shower passing over us forced us to stop. 
In that situation, after we had tied up our horses and 
built up our fires, we proceeded to place out the guards, 
when many who had not been used to such fatigue made 
themselves as comfortable as the nature of things would 
admit, and laid down to rest. I found from the manner 
in which the horses behaved that Indians were about 
with the intention of stealing some of our horses. Con- 
sequently, I kept on my feet the whole night, passing 
round and through the camp. The night passed off with- 
out any interruption. The third day at night we arrived 
ai the Crab Orchard, and on the fourth day I proceeded 
to the conference at Louis's Chapel. We had at this an 
increase of two preachers — John Metcalf, who had come 
through the wilderness with us from the Virginia confer- 
ence, and Thomas Scott, now Judge Scott, of Chilicothe, 
from the Baltimore conference. The presiding elder, F. 
Poythress, presided in the conference. The business 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



41 



haying been gone through, I was dispatched to the Vir- 
ginia conference with the proceedings of our conference, 
and to receive deacon's orders. The conference met at 
Joseph Mitchel's, on James river. Here we met Mr. 
Asbury, who had partly recovered from his sickness. 

At this conference, which was held on the 26th May, I 
received my appointment on Hinkston circuit, Kentucky. 
This circuit included Clark county, Bourbon, and Mont- 
gomery; bounded on the north and east by the frontier 
settlements, on the south by the Kentucky river, and on 
the west by Lexington circuit. It was a three weeks'* cir- 
cuit, that had been taken off from Lexington ; here I was 
alone. At my first quarterly meeting I was removed to 
Salt River circuit — the preacher having left — and put in 
charge. Here I remained two quarters under very em- 
barrassed circumstances, it being the summer of Wayne's 
campaign, and great numbers were out in the service. 
This was the most difficult circuit in the bounds of the 
conference. It was a four weeks' circuit, and between 
four and five hundred miles round. It included Wash- 
ington, Nelson, Jefferson, Shelby, and Green counties; 
bounded on the north by the Kentucky river, on the east 
by Danville circuit, on the south by the frontier settle- 
ments on Green river, including where Greensburg and 
Elizabethtown are now situated, and on the west by the 
Ohio river. Nothing worthy of record occurred, except 
hard times. I was reduced to the last pinch. My 
clothes were nearly all gone. I had patch upon patch 
and patch by patch, and I received only money suffi- 
cient to buy a waistcoat, and not enough of that to pay 
for the making, during the two quarters I remained on 
the circuit. After the second quarterly meeting I was 
changed, by the presiding elder, to Lexington circuit. 
This was the best circuit in the bounds of the conference, 
both for numbers and liberality. In this circuit I met 

4 



42 



SKETCHES OF 



with many good friends, and they supplied all my wants 
Nothing special occurred during the year. Wayne's ex- 
pedition having ended, the people returned to their 
homes and became more settled, and we had a gradual 
increase in the societies. Lexington was a four weeks' 
circuit, and tolerably compact. It contained the counties 
of Fayette, Jessamine, Woodford, Franklin, Scott, and 
Harrison; bounded on the east and north by Hinkston 
circuit, on the west by the frontiers. Frankfort, now the 
seat of government, was then a frontier station. The 
southern boundary was the Kentucky river, which is 
peculiar for the high cliffs of limestone rocks, which pre- 
sent a wild and grand appearance, in many places from 
four to five hundred feet high. 

In the county of Jessamine, situated on the cliffs, was 
Bethel Academy, built entirely by subscriptions raised on 
the circuits. One hundred acres of land was given by 
Mr. Lewis, as the site for the Academy. The project 
originated with Mr. Asbury, Francis Poythress, Isaac 
Hite, of Jefferson; Colonel Hinde, of Nelson; Willis 
G-reen, of Lincoln; Richard Masterson, of Fayette; and 
Mr. Lewis, of Jessamine. A spacious building was 
erected, I think eighty by forty feet, three stories high. 
The design was to accommodate the students in the house 
with boarding, etc. The first and second stories were 
principally finished and a spacious hall in the center. 
The building of this house rendered the pecuniary means 
of the preachers very uncertain; for they were contin- 
ually employed in begging for Bethel. The people were 
very liberal, but they could not do more than they did. 
The country was new, and the unsettled state of the peo- 
ple, in consequence of the Indian wars and depredations, 
kept the country in a continual state of agitation. The 
Legislature, at an early period, made a donation of six 
thousand acres of land to Bethel Academy. The land 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



43 



was located in Christian county, south of Green river, 
and remained a long time unproductive; and while I con- 
tinued a trustee, till 1804, it remained rather a bill of 
expense than otherwise. In 1803 I was appointed by the 
Western conference to attend the Legislature and obtain 
an act of incorporation. I performed that duty, and 
Bethel was incorporated, with all the powers and privi- 
leges of a literary institution. From that time I was 
removed to such a distance that my connection with the 
Academy ceased. Rev. Valentine Cook was the first that 
organized the academical department; and at first the 
prospect was flattering. A number of students were in 
attendance; but difficulties occurred which it would be 
needless to mention, as all the parties concerned have 
gone to give an account at a higher tribunal ; but such 
was the effect that the school soon declined, and brother 
Cook abandoned the project. 

The Rev. John Metcalf, who had married and located, 
was next introduced, and kept a common school for some 
time. On his leaving the place vacant, Rev. Nathaniel 
Harris moved, with his family, and occupied the building 
as a dwelling, and kept a school for the neighborhood. 
On his leaving the premises, it was soon in a dilapidated 
state. The land on which it was built fell into the hands 
of Mr. Lewis's heirs, the house was taken down, so that 
not one stone was left upon another, and the whole was 
transferred to Nicholasville, and incorporated into a 
county academy, which is still in operation; but the 
Methodist Church have no more interest in it than other 
citizens of Jessamine county. 

In the spring of 1795 I had traveled all the circuits in 
Kentucky except Limestone. This circuit lay on the 
north side of Licking river — a considerable wilderness 
intervening between Hinkston and Limestone circuits. 
It included Mason and Fleming counties. It was a small 



44 



SKETCHES OF 



circuit j bounded on the east, south, and west by the 
frontier settlements, and on the north by the Ohio river. 
Taking it all in all, these were days, in the west, that 
tried men's souls. From the time that the first Method- 
ist missionaries entered this new field of labor up to this 
spring, there had been one continued Indian war, while 
the whole frontier, east, west, north, and south, had been 
exposed to the inroads and cruel depredations of the 
merciless savages. This spring — 1795 — was the noted 
Nickajack expedition, which terminated the Cherokee 
war; and Wayne's treaty at Greenville, Ohio, put an end 
to the Indian wars, and the whole western country, foi 
once, had peace. There is one thing worthy of notice, 
and that is, that notwithstanding the constant exposure 
the traveling preachers were subjected to, but two of them 
fell by the hands of the savages, and both of them by 
the name of Tucker. One was a young man, descending 
the Ohio on a fiatboat, in company with several other 
boats — all were family boats, moving to Kentucky. They 
were attacked by the Indians near the mouth of Brush 
creek, now Adams county, Ohio. Several boats were 
taken possession of by the Indians, the inmates massa- 
cred, and the property taken by them. Every man in 
the boat with Tucker was killed, and Tucker wounded 
mortally. The Indians made attempts to board the boat, 
but, notwithstanding he was wounded, the women loaded 
the guns and Tucker kept up a constant fire upon them, 
and brought off the boat safe; but before they landed at 
Limestone he expired, and his remains quietly repose 
somewhere in that place. Brother James O'Cull assisted 
in burying him, and is the only man now living who 
could designate the spot. I think the Kentucky confer- 
ence should erect a monument to his memory. The other 
was shot near a station south of Green river, not far from 
the present town of Greensburg. 



WESTERN" METHODISM. 



45 



The conference for the year 1795 met at Ebenezcr 
Earnest's neighborhood, on Nolachucky, the last week in 
April. We passed through the wilderness this year 
without much apprehension of danger. The most of the 
preachers from Kentucky met their brethren on Holston 
district. This was the largest annual conference we had 
ever seen in the west. Bishop Asbury attended, and it 
was a conference of considerable interest. At this con- 
ference I was ordained to the office of an elder. My 
parchment bears date 30th April, 1795, Western terri- 
tory. At this conference I was requested by the Bishop 
to preach the ordination sermon for the deacons. I did 
so, from the words of Paul to Timothy: " Study to shew 
thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not 
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." We 
had a most harmonious and blessed time. I received 
my appointment this year to Cumberland, Mero district, 
Western territory. The circuit included Davidson, Sum- 
ner, and Robinson counties, in the territory, and part of 
Logan county, Kentucky, lying on the waters of Red 
river, and extending out to the neighborhood where Rus- 
selville now stands; in a word, it included all the settle- 
ments in that region of country. In order to reach my 
destination I had to return through Kentucky, and to 
take my colleague, who was a young man, received at this 
conference, by the name of Peter Guthrie. He was a 
man of deep piety, but of slender preaching abilities. 
We made the best of our way for Cumberland, passed on 
from Lexington through Danville circuit and Salt River: 
and on the first night after we left the bounds of Salt 
River circuit, we stopped at the last house, on the edge 
of the barrens, on the south side of Green river, at Side- 
bottom's ferry. After we had put our horses up circum- 
itances made it necessary, by an occurrence in the fam- 
.ly, that we should camp out; and we accordingly made 



4:6 



SKETCHES OF 



our fire in the woods and laid us down to rest; and, all 
things considered, we had a comfortable night's rest. We 
now had a vast barren track to pass through of between 
eighty and ninety miles, with but one house — M'Fadden's 
Station, on Big Barren river, not far from where Bowling 
Green is now situated. The next day we arrived in the 
settlement, on the waters of Bed river. On the follow- 
ing day we arrived at Nashville, and in the evening at 
James Hockett's, about two miles west of town. He was 
a rich planter, and had formerly resided in the Choctaw 
nation. At this time he was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and his house was a home for the trav- 
eling preachers. In this neighborhood I staid several 
days, and collected what information I could about the 
state of the circuit. Moses Speer, one of the preachers 
that traveled the circuit the preceding year, and had 
married in the neighborhood of Nashville, and a young 
man by the name of Joseph Dunn, were traveling on the 
circuit when we arrived. 

On inquiry I found that James Haw, who was one of 
the first preachers that came to Kentucky, had located 
and settled in Cumberland, and embraced the views of 
0' Kelly, and by his influence and address had brought 
over the traveling and every local preacher but one in 
the country to his views, and considerable dissatisfaction 
had obtained in many of the societies. Under these 
circumstances I was greatly perplexed to know what 
course to take — a stranger to every body in the country, 
a young preacher, and Haw an old and experienced 
preacher, well known, a popular man, and looked up to as 
one of the fathers of the Church, and one who had suf- 
fered much in planting Methodism in Kentucky and 
Cumberland. After much reflection and prayer to God 
for direction, I finally settled upon the following plan; 
namely, to take the Discipline and examine it thoroughly, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



4:7 



selecting all that was objected to by 0' Kelly, and those 
who adhered to him, and then undertake an explanation 
and defense of the same. I accordingly met brother 
Speer at Nashville, and after preaching requested the 
society to remain, aud commenced my work. When I 
concluded my defense, I took the vote of the society, 
and they unanimously sustained the positions I had 
taken. Brother Speer also asked the privilege of mak- 
ing a few remarks. He stated to the society that he 
would consider the Church as a house that he lived in ; 
and notwithstanding the door was not exactly in the 
place he should like it, or the chimney in the end that 
best pleased him, yet he could not throw away or pull 
down his house on that account ; and, therefore, he 
concluded that he would not throw away the Church, 
although some things, he thought, could be improved 
in the Discipline. In consequence of this victory on my 
first attempt, I took courage, and proceeded with my 
work in every society \ and, to my utter astonishment, I 
succeeded in every place, and saved every society but one 
small class on Red river, where a local preacher lived by 
the name of Jonathan Stevenson, who had traveled the 
circuit two years before, and located in that neighbor- 
hood. Haw and Stevenson appointed a meeting on Red 
river, and invited the Methodists all over the circuit to 
attend the meeting, for the purpose of organizing the 
new Church. The result was, that only ten or twelve 
members offered themselves, and the most of them had 
formerly belonged to the Baptist Church. Having failed 
in every attempt to break up the societies, the next step 
was to call me to a public debate. I accepted his chal- 
lenge, and the day was appointed to meet at Station Cap, 
one of the most popular neighborhoods, and convenient 
to a number of large societies. Notwithstanding I ac- 
cepted the challenge, I trembled for the cause. I waa 



48 



SKETCHES OF 



young in the ministry, and inexperienced in that kind 
of debate. He was an old minister, of long experience, 
and of high standing in the community. I summoned 
up all my courage, and, like young David with his sling, 
I went forth to meet the Goliah. The day arrived, and a 
great concourse of people attended. The preliminaries 
were settled, and I had the opening of the debate. The 
Lord stood by me. I had uncommon liberty, and before 
I concluded many voices were heard in the congregation, 
saying, "Give us the old way I" Mr. Haw arose to make 
his reply very much agitated, and exhibited a very bad 
temper, being very much confused. He made some state- 
ment that called from me a denial, and the people rose 
up to sustain me, which was no sooner done than he was 
so confused that he picked up his saddle-bags and walked 
off, and made no reply. This left me in possession of the 
whole field, and from that hour he lost his influence 
among the Methodists, and his usefulness as a preacher. 
In this situation he remained till 1801 j and when the 
great revival began in Tennessee among the Presbyte- 
rians and Methodists, he connected himself with the 
former, and ended his days among them as a preacher. 
Benjamin Ogden, the colleague of Haw when they first 
came to Kentucky, married a Miss Easland, on Danville 
circuit, and located; in 1792 or 1793 joined 0' Kelly. 
He resided in Hardin county, Kentucky. He remained 
many years unconnected with any Church ; hut several 
years before his death became again connected with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and ended his days among 
the Methodists. After the difficulties with Haw sub- 
sided, we had a considerable revival on the circuit, and 
some additions to the societies, and every thing moved on 
harmoniously. On the ninth day of January, 1796, I was 
married to Rachel Cooper, in Sumner county, Tennessee. 
L lost but one single appointment in consequence of my 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



49 



marriage, but pursued the even tenor of my way. The 
presiding elder never once visited the country during the 
whole year. A few weeks after I was married, the pre- 
siding elder sent down a preacher to relieve me, with 
directions for me to return to Kentucky. I immediately 
started, and visited the circuits where I had traveled in 
Kentucky, and remained between five and six weeks, and 
then returned to Tennessee, where I remained till we 
started for conference, about the tenth of April. 

The conference this year was at Nelson's, in the 
neighborhood of Jonesboro, Western territory. In order 
to reach this conference we had a long and tedious jour- 
ney through the wilderness of upward of one hundred 
miles, without a house. We had to pack on our horses 
the provisions necessary for ourselves and horses for three 
days and nights, and to camp out in the open air. The 
company consisted of James Campbell and Joseph Dunn, 
preachers, myself and wife, and a nephew of my wife. 
The last night we encamped we were very apprehensive 
that the Indians would rob us; consequently, some of us 
kept awake through the night ; but we had no interrup- 
tion, and the next day we reached the settlement in the 
neighborhood of where Knoxville is now situated. The 
day after we entered the bounds of Green circuit, where 
I had traveled in the year 1792, and were now among our 
old friends. We arrived at Nelson's the day before the 
conference commenced, and met Bishop Asbury. The 
business of the conference was done in peace and har- 
mony. I shall always remember what Mr. Asbury said 
while my character was under examination before the con- 
ference and before I withdrew. He stated to the confer- 
ence that brother Burke had accomplished two important 
things the past year — "the defeat of the O'Kellyites, and 
he had married a wife." It was well known to the 
preachers in those days that Mr. Asbury did not approve 

5 



50 



SKETCHES OF 



of their marrying, and if they did marry, that it was 
necessary to locate; but notwithstanding the opposition 
of the preachers and people, I felt it my duty to travel 
as long as Providence opened my way. Accordingly, I 
received my appointment that year on Guilford circuit, 
North Carolina. I immediately proceeded for my ap- 
pointment, my wife accompanying me. 

We arrived in the bounds of the circuit about the first 
of May. I made my home at my father's, near the High 
Rock ford, on Haw river, Rockingham county. It was a 
year of great distress in that section of country. For the 
want of breadstuffs numbers perished from want. As 
soon as the fruit could be eaten the people resorted to 
that as a means of subsistence, which brought on the 
flux and other complaints, that hurried many off the stage 
of action. During the summer and fall we had some con- 
siderable move among the people in different parts of the 
circuit, and some additions to the societies. 

In the beginning of October I left the circuit to attend 
the second General conference, which assembled at Balti- 
more on the 20th of October. Dr. Coke and Bishop 
Asbury presided. The business of the conference was 
conducted with great harmony. At this conference the 
Chartered Fund for the relief of the superannuated preach- 
ers, and the widows and orphans of preachers, was estab- 
lished by a rule of the General conference. It is, per- 
haps, not known to many of the preachers now living 
how the funds were made up at the beginning to set the 
institution on foot. We had for many years previous a 
preachers' fund for the same purpose. This fund was 
created by a payment by each traveling preacher, when 
received into full connection, of twenty shillings, and 
every year after, at the annual conference, two dollars. 
The fund, which at this time was pretty considerable, was 
used by John Dickens, the first Book Steward, for printing 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



51 



books for the connection in America. The process waa 
as follows : The money was used to pay for the printing. 
The books were sold by the preachers, and the principal 
was returned to the preachers' fund, and the profits re- 
tained to lay the foundation for a book fund. At this Gen- 
3ral conference the preachers' fund was merged into the 
Chartered Fund, and the residue was raised by subscrip- 
tions and donations from the members. In this way orig- 
inated the Charter Fund and the Book Concern of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in these United States; and 
this was brought about when the preacher's allowance 
was only sixty-four dollars, including all his presents and 
marriage fees. 

There were several important events which transpired 
this year in the bounds of Guilford circuit that require 
a passing notice. A few years previous brother Simon 
Carlisle, quite a talented young man, was stationed on 
Caswell circuit, the circuit adjoining Guilford. He had 
been acceptable and useful, and completed his year to 
the satisfaction of all. In those days it was the custom 
for the preacher to select some place in the circuit which 
he considered his home, where he deposited for safe- 
keeping his surplus books and clothes, etc. He had 
made his home at a brother Harrison's, not far from Dunn 
river; and on the morning he was about to leave the cir- 
cuit for the annual conference, he packed up his things in 
his saddle-bags, and left them in his room unlocked, and 
went out to see something about his horse. In his 
absence a wicked young man, son of brother Harrison, 
put a pocket pistol into his saddle-bags. On his return 
to the room, without making any examination, he locked 
his saddle-bags, and left for conference. When he ar- 
rived at his mother's, on the way to conference, on taking 
his things out of his saddle-bags he found a pocket pistol. 
He could not account for its being there; but leaving it 



52 



SKETCHES OF 



he proceeded on to conference. During the year the 
pistol was taken to a shop on the road to have some re- 
pairs done to it, and a person passing challenged the same 
as being the pistol of young Harrison, and the same was 
traced to brother Carlisle. At the next annual confer- 
ence, m 1794, he was charged with the fact of taking 
the pistol, and excommunicated from the Church, and 
so returned on the Minutes of that year. During the 
summer of 1796 young Harrison was taken sick and 
died; but just before his death he made a full confession 
of his having put the pistol into the saddle-bags of 
brother Carlisle, with the intention of injuring him; and 
I had the pleasure of restoring brother Carlisle again to 
the bosom of the Church, to his great joy. He has re- 
mained a minister in good standing ever since, and has 
been living for many years in Middle Tennessee, and 
has in old age connected himself with the traveling con- 
nection in the Tennessee conference. 

On the 4th day of March, 1797, I set out for the west- 
ern country, and met the conference on Holston. Mr. 
Asbury was at the conference. I received my appoint- 
ment on the Holston circuit again, having been absent 
for five years. Brother William Duzan traveled with me 
that year. Nothing of importance transpired during that 
conference year. We had a gradual increase in the soci- 
eties. I visited Clinch and Green circuits in the course 
of the year, and attended several quarterly meetings, 
which in those days of Methodism were the only popular 
meetings where the preachers, when they could leave 
their circuits, met to help forward the good cause. In 
the spring of 1798 Bishop Asbury met the conference on 
Holston, and I was appointed to Cumberland again, hav- 
ing been absent two years. I traveled this year alone, 
and had not the pleasure of seeing the face of a travel- 
ing preacher through the entire year. The circuit had 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



53 



become very large; the country was settling very fast; 
and many additions to the Church made by certificate. 
During this year many local preachers emigrated, and 
settled in the bounds of the circuit. Kev. John M'Gee 
settled at Dickson's Spring; Kev. Jesse Walker settled 
on White's Creek. This year I became acquainted with 
J. A. Grenade, who moved from the lower part of the 
etate of North Carolina. He had in Carolina professed 
religion ; but on coming to Tennessee he had fallen into 
a strange state of mind. He was in constant fear of hell, 
and despaired of ever being restored to the favor of God 
again. I did every thing in my power for his recovery. 
He traveled with me considerably, and sometimes he 
would have lucid intervals — seasons when he appeared 
perfectly rational, and expressed a hope ; but suddenly 
he would relapse into melancholy and despair again. 

During this year I had to pay nearly a hundred dollars 
for a horse, and I found it hard to raise the money, and 
support myself, and pay the board of my wife; however, 
I economized in every way. I borrowed a blanket, and 
wore it instead of a great-coat through the winter, and 
by that means paid my debts. Upon the whole, I spent 
this year very agreeably, and with some success. I left 
the circuit in the spring of 1799 for conference in Ken- 
tucky, at Bethel Academy. This year I received my 
appointment on Danville circuit for the second time, hav- 
ing been absent for seven years. Part of this year I had 
Henry Smith for my colleague, who, I believe, is yet liv- 
ing in Maryland. I had many difficulties to contend 
with, being the first married preacher that had ever 
attempted to travel with what the people and preachers 
called the incumbrance of a wife; and every thing was 
thrown in my way to discourage me. The presiding 
elder thought I had better locate; for, he said, the peo- 
ple would not support a married man. But I determined 



54 



SKETCHES OF 



to hold on my way, and my wife encouraged me Sha 
wrought with her own hands, and paid her boaid, and 
clothed herself; and I divided equally with my colleague, 
and by this means kept every thing quiet. 

This year began my war with the Baptists. Having 
had some small revival, the Baptists did all they could 
to draw off our members and get them into the water; 
and I began with lecturing every time I baptized an 
infant, which greatly roused up the Baptists, so much 
so that I received a challenge from the Rev. Thomas 
Shelton, the champion of the whole Baptist denomina- 
tion. I accepted the challenge, and the day was ap- 
pointed at Irvin's Lick, in Madison county. We met 
according to appointment, and settled the preliminaries 
of debate, each to speak fifteen minutes. Brother John 
Wats©% was appointed by me to keep time and call to 
order, and a Baptist preacher appointed by Mr. Shelton 
for the same purpose. We proceeded about four hours 
to debate the subject. I had the close, when Shelton 
observed to the immense congregation that he believed I 
was an honest but a mistaken man. I proceeded to ad- 
minister the ordinance of baptism on the spot, and Mr. 
Shelton stood by and witnessed the same. From that 
day the tug of war began, which continued till 1811, 
when I left the state. At that meeting Elisha W. Bow- 
man was present, and a young speaker in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, who immediately entered upon the 
study of the subject and became a warm auxiliary in the 
cause. William J. Thompson also took up the subject. 
He was a strong man and rendered efficient service. Af- 
ter 1800 John Sale and William M'Kendree engaged 
with me in the contest. We kept up a constant fire upon 
the Baptists, and the Methodists began to gain confi- 
dence and to make a respectable stand among the denom- 
inations of Christians. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



55 



The year 1799 I expected would terminate ray labors 
in the western country. At the request of Bishop As- 
oury, all the preachers that had been in the west for any 
considerable time were to leave the country and attend 
the G-eneral conference at Baltimore, on the sixth day of 
May, 1800, and to receive their appointments in the old 
states, and a new set to be sent to the west. "We all 
accordingly set out early in April. The following were 
the preachers that left : Francis Poythress, Thomas Wil- 
kerson, John Page, John Watson, John Buxton, Henry 
Smith, John Kobler, and William Burke. Bishop Asbury 
had formed the intended plan of appointing a presiding 
elder to take charge of all the west in one district; 
namely, Kentucky, Tennessee, and all that part of Vir- 
ginia west of New river and the North-Western territory, 
including the Miami and Scioto Valleys. He used his 
utmost endeavors, during the General conference, to 
engage a man for that purpose, but failed; for when they 
understood the extent of the territory they would have to 
travel over, they uniformly declined to undertake it. 
Before the close of the conference he applied to me to 
know if I would consent to return to Kentucky and take 
with me all the papers appertaining to the annual confer- 
ence and Bethel Academy, and do the best I could for 
the work in that part of the field. I consented, and he 
appointed to go with me John Sale, Hezekiah Harraman. 
William Algood, and Henry Smith; for the Holston coun- 
try, James Hunter, John Watson, and John Page; and 
for Cumberland, William Lambeth. John Sale and H. 
Harraman proceeded with me immediately for Kentucky. 
Hezekiah Harraman was appointed to Danville circuit, 
John Sale to Salt Kiver and Shelby, William Algood tc 
Limestone. I was appointed to Hinkston, and to super- 
intend the quarterly meetings where there was no elder, 
William Algood never came to his appointment. I pre- 



56 



SKETCHES OF 



vailed on J ereniiah Lawson to supply his place on Lime- 
stone circuit, and I placed Lewis Hunt on Hinkston, and 
spent the most of my time on Lexington, Hinkston, and 
Limestone circuits. My labors, during that summer, 
were very arduous, and to accomplish my work I rode 
down two good horses. 

During that year the annual conference was changed 
from the spring to the fall; and on the first of October, 
1800, the conference met at Bethel Academy. Bishops 
Asbury and Whatcoat attended, and they brought with 
them William M'Kendree, from the center district of 
Virginia, to take charge of the whole of the western 
country. Mr. Asbury wished me to go and take charge 
of the district that M'Kendree had left, but I told him 
it was out of the question; that I had returned to Ken- 
tucky, at his request, from Baltimore, in the spring; that 
I had rode down my horses; that I had worn out my 
clothes; that I was ragged and tattered; and last and not 
least, I had not a cent in my pocket, and, therefore, 
could not go. He yielded to the necessity of the case. 
At that conference Benjamin Lakin was readmitted and 
William Marsh admitted. I was appointed on Lexington 
and Hinkston united, with Thomas Wilkerson and Lewis 
Hunt. W^ilkerson did not come on from Baltimore cir- 
cuit till late in the spring of 1801. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



57 



CHAPTER III. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY CONTINUED. 

I now enter upon a new era in the history of west- 
ern Methodism. I consider this the proper place to 
give a description of the men and means employed in 
the establishment and progress of Methodism in this 
western country, and the difficulties and hardships en- 
countered in the work. As early as the year 1785 the 
first traveling preachers visited the Holston country; 
their names were Richard Swift and Michael Gilbert. 
The country at this time was new and thinly settled. 
They met with many privations and sufferings, and made 
but little progress. The most of the country through 
which they traveled was very mountainous and rough, 
and the people ignorant and uncultivated, and the greater 
part a frontier exposed to Indian depredations. They 
were followed by Mark Whitaker and Mark Moore, who 
were zealous, plain, old-fashioned Methodist preachers, 
and calculated to make an impression. Their labors were 
successful, and they were instrumental in raising up 
many societies. Mark Whitaker in particular was a 
strong man, and maintained Methodist doctrine in oppo- 
sition to Calvinism, which was the prevailing doctrine of 
that time. He laid a good foundation for his successors, 
and was followed by Jeremiah Matson and Thomas Ware, 
and after them in succession Joseph Doddridge, Jeremiah 
Able, John Tunnell, John Baldwin, Charles Hardy, John 
M'Gee, and John West. Under God these men planted 
the standard of the cross in the frontier settlements of 



58 



SKETCHES OF 



the French Broad, and numerous societies were raised up, 
so that in 1791 the societies numbered upward of one 
thousand. About this time I arrived in the Holston 
country. These fathers of Methodism, most of whom 
have gone to their reward, will be long had in grateful 
remembrance. But two of them are lingering on the 
shores of mortality — Charles Hardy and John West. 
The most of them died in connection with the Church, 
and are now reaping the reward of their labors and suf- 
ferings. Joseph Doddridge received orders in the Epis- 
copal Church of -England, and settled in the Mcnongahela 
country, and there died. Jeremiah Able joined the 
Presbyterians, and lived and died in the G-reen river 
country, not far from Greensburg, Green county, Ken- 
tucky. 

The pioneers of Methodism in that part of western 
Virginia and the Western territory suffered many priva- 
tions, and underwent much toil and labor, preaching in 
forts and cabins, sleeping on straw, bear and buffalo 
skins, living on bear meat, venison, and wild turkeys, 
traveling over mountains and through solitary valleys, 
and, sometimes, lying on the cold ground; receiving but 
a scanty support, barely enough to keep soul and body 
together, with coarse home-made apparel; but the best 
of all was, their labors were owned and blessed of God, 
and they were like a band of brothers, having one pur- 
pose and end in view — the glory of God and the salva- 
tion of immortal souls. When the preachers met from 
their different and distant fields of labor, they had a feast 
of love and friendship; and when they parted, they wept 
and embraced each other as brothers beloved. Such was 
the spirit of primitive Methodist preachers. 

There were but few local preachers at that time in that 
part of the western country, and they were like angels' 
visits, few and far between — one local preacher on West 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



59 



New River circuit, a brother Morgan, whose labors were 
confined principally to a small circle; but one on Holston, 
old father Ragen, in the Rich Valley, not far from the 
Salt-Works. He was a man much respected, and, in 
some degree, useful in his neighborhood, but circum- 
scribed in his operations as a preacher. At an early time 
brother Benjamin Vanpelt, a local preacher of consider- 
able talents and usefulness, moved from Alexandria, Vir- 
ginia, and settled on Lick creek, Green county, Western 
territory. He labored extensively, was very useful, and 
was made an instrument, under God, of doing much 
good. Several societies were formed by his ministry, and 
he may be considered one of the fathers of the Church. 
His memory will be long had in remembrance by the peo- 
ple of the French Broad country. He was the old and 
particular friend of Bishop Asbury, and one of the first 
meeting-houses built in that country was Vanpelt's meet- 
ing-house. I have been in company with the Bishop at 
his house, and heard him preach in the meeting-house as 
early as 1792. Brother Stilwell, another local preacher 
from Virginia, settled in the same neighborhood and 
united with brother Vanpelt, and they labored harmoni- 
ously in the good work. After the conclusion of the 
Indian war, in the spring of 1795, there was a great in- 
flux by immigration. Some of the traveling preachers 
married and settled in the country. James O'Conner 
settled on Watauga, Mark Whitaker near Jonesboro, Ste- 
phen Brooks in Green county, and many others, both 
preachers and members, settled in different sections, and 
some new preachers were raised up, and the work was 
enlarged; new circuits were formed, and some useful and 
talented young men entered into the traveling connection. 
Among the first was Francis Acuff, of precious memory, 
who, at an early period, fell a victim to disease, and died 
in the triumphs of faith on Danville circuit, Kentucky, 



60 



SKETCHES OF 



Nathaniel Massie, David Young, Henager, and Porter, 
in succession were raised up in that section of country, 
whose labors and usefulness are known among the thou- 
sands of Israel; and the few who remain to witness the 
spread and triumph of the Redeemer's kingdom aie ready 
to exclaim, " The Lord hath done great things for us, 
whereof we are glad." 

We now turn our attention to Kentucky. This country 
began to be settled by adventurers soon after the com- 
mencement of the Revolutionary war. It was completely 
insulated, being a vast wilderness to the south from the 
frontiers of Virginia and the Western territory, of one 
hundred and thirty miles on the eastern boundary; an 
uninhabited country till you arrived on the frontiers of 
Virginia and Pennsylvania; a few settlements being scat- 
tered through Brook county, Virginia, and on the Monon- 
cahela, and on Greenbriar river, and the head waters of 
James river, and on the north by the Ohio river; and the 
whole country extending to the lakes without inhabitants, 
except the Indians, who were the friends of the British, 
and under their influence, and kept up a constant warfare 
on the whole of the settlements in Kentucky. The first 
families that emigrated to Kentucky was in the year 
1773, and the first station established was Boonsboro, on 
the Kentucky river, situated in what was afterward 
called Madison county. The next stations were Harrod's 
and Bryant's. Harrod's Station was situated on the south 
side of the Kentucky river, below the mouth of Dick's 
river; and as the settlements spread the stations were 
multiplied. Every new settlement had a station ; one at 
Ruddell's Mills, at Georgetown, Millersburg, Mays Lick, 
Washington, Frankfort, Louisville, Middletown, Master- 
son's Station, Burnt Station, and numerous others formed 
as the country settled. The frontier settlements kept up 
the stations and block-houses till the treaty of Greenville, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



61 



in the spring of 1795. In the first settlement of Ken- 
tucky the denomination of Baptists were the most numer- 
ous. Among the first preachers of that order were the 
Craigs, the Bledsoes, and Bailey, etc. There were a few 
Presbyterian ministers that settled in different sections 
of the country. Old father Rankin, of Lexington, Rev. 
Mr. Bice, from Virginia, settled in the forks of Dick's 
river, and the Rev. Robt. W. Finley at Cane Ridge. After 
the conclusion of the Revolutionary war the emigration 
was very great to Kentucky ; and the Presbyterians sent 
out numbers of missionaries, who traveled and preached 
through the country, and settled down wherever they 
could establish a congregation. Among the first was the 
Rev. Messrs. James Blythe, Lyle, Welch, M'Namer, 
Stone, Reynolds, Stewart, and several others not recol- 
lected. 

They established congregations in Fayette, Clark, Bour- 
bon, Scott, and Woodford, and M'Clelland, in Mercer, and 
Washington. The Baptists still continued the most nu- 
merous; but at an early period, say about 1789, or 1790, 
they had a division in the Church. A numerous party 
arose among them calling themselves Separate, or by some 
denominated Free-Will Baptists. The Free-Will Baptists 
held in common the doctrines of the Methodists, except 
the unconditional final perseverance of the saints, and 
baptism by immersion as the only mode, while the 
Regulars held to the doctrine of predestination, as set 
forth in the Philadelphia Confession of Faith; but they 
were subject to another division. Rev. John Bailey 
and Bledso embraced the doctrines of Winchester, and 
were denominated Universalists. They were popular 
preachers among the Baptists, and made great inroads in 
many of their Churches; and the controversy was carried 
to great lengths, and conducted with much acrimony. 
At this period the Separatists took the lead. They sue- 



62 



SKETCHES OF 



cessfully preached against the doctrine of predestination 
and decrees, enforced experimental and practical religion, 
formed Churches, and established separate associations, 
and became very numerous; but they have long since 
ceased to exist as a separate denomination. They gradu- 
ally united with the Regular associations, and are now 
known as Baptists generally. At the commencement of 
these controversies the Methodists were few and far 
between. 

Soon after the conclusion of the war with G-reat Brit- 
ain, Francis Clark, a local preacher from old Virginia, 
settled in the neighborhood of Danville, Mercer county, 
and was among the first Methodists that emigrated to the 
country. He was a man of sound judgment, and well 
instructed in the doctrines of the Methodist Church. As 
a preacher he was successful, and was made the instru- 
ment of forming several societies, and lived many years 
to rejoice in the success of the cause that he had been 
the instrument, under Grod, of commencing in the wilder- 
ness. He died at his own domicile, in the fall of 1799, 
in great peace, and in hope of a blessed immortality. I 
attended his funeral in connection with the Rev. Francis 
Poythress, and at his request I preached from these 
words: u For to me to live is Christ, but to die is gain." 
The Rev. William J. Thompson emigrated at an early 
day from Stokes county, North Carolina, and settled in 
the same neighborhood. He became also a useful auxil- 
iary, and preached with acceptance and success. He 
afterward joined the traveling connection in the West- 
ern conference; and when he moved to the state of Ohio 
became connected with the Ohio conference, where his 
labors and usefulness are held in remembrance by many. 
He still lives in good old age, in Clermont county, Ohio. 
The next local preachers that came to the country were 
Nathaniel Harris, from Virginia, Gabriel and Daniel 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



63 



Woodfield, from the Redstone country. Harris settled in 
Jessamine county, and the Woodfields in Fayette county; 
and not long after Philip Taylor, from Virginia, settled 
in Jessamine county. These were considered a great 
acquisition to the infant societies. Nathaniel Harris and 
Gabriel Woodfield were among the first order of local 
preachers, and they were highly esteemed, and labored 
with success. They have been connected with the itin- 
erancy, and labored in that relation with acceptance. 
Gabriel Woodfield afterward settled in Henry county; but 
before his death removed to Indiana, in the neighborhood 
of Madison, where he lived to a good old age, and died 
in peace among his friends and connections. Brother 
Nathaniel Harris still lives, at the age of nearly four- 
score years. He is still actively engaged in the good 
cause, and lives in the midst of his friends, highly es- 
teemed and useful. Joseph Ferguson, a local preacher 
from Fairfax county, Virginia, moved to Kentucky at an 
early time, and settled in Nelson county, and was among 
the first preachers that settled in that section of the 
country. He was an amiable man, possessed good 
preaching talents, and was rendered very useful. He 
was highly esteemed, blessed with an amiable family, and 
his house was a home for the traveling preachers, who 
were at all times welcome guests. Brother Ferguson was 
subject at times to great depression of mind; but when 
in the company of the traveling preachers he was always 
cheerful and happy. He lived to a good old age, at the 
place where he first settled, and died in peace and in the 
triumphs of that Gospel which he had proclaimed for 
many years. Ferguson's meeting-house was one of the 
first that was built in that part of the country ; and at 
one time there was a large society at that meeting-house, 
and when I was last in the neighborhood, in the fall of 
1811, they still maintained a respectable standing. 



64 



SKETCHES OF 



One of the oldest meeting-houses in Madison county 
was Proctor's Chapel, not far from Boonsboro. That part 
of the country shared largely in the blessings of the 
Gospel, and Methodism nourished to a very great extent 
in that county. There were a number of respectable 
local preachers, whose labors were extensive and success- 
ful. Charles Kavanaugh, John Cook, R. Baker, and J. 
Proctor, were all early emigrants to that part of the 
country. Charles Kavanaugh was a preacher of splendid 
talents and great usefulness. He was an able defender 
of the doctrines of the Methodist Church, and was 
highly respected by all denominations. There were sev 
eral families of that connection. Williams Kavanaugh 
was raised in that neighborhood, and was a cousin to 
Charles. Williams Kavanaugh and Lewis Garrett were 
both raised on Danville circuit, and both entered the 
traveling connection in the spring of 1794, and traveled 
that conference year together on Green circuit, now East 
Tennessee, then the Western territory. Of these two 
young men we shall hereafter have something more to 
say. Charles Kavanaugh, after having made full proof 
of his ministry in Kentucky, removed, in 1796 or 1797, 
to the neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, where I 
found him settled in 1798. He there commenced the 
practice of medicine, and was celebrated as a cancer doc- 
tor. Of his labors and usefulness in that country, and 
the manner in which he closed his life and labors, we 
hope some friend will furnish the account. 

We must now turn our attention to the introduction of 
the traveling missionaries into the state of Kentucky. 
The first traveling Methodist preachers that ever set foot 
on Kentucky soil was James Haw and Benjamin Ogden. 
They were stationed in Kentucky, 1786 — James Haw 
elder; and at the end of the year they returned ninety 
in society. This was the commencement of Methodism 



WESTEKN METHODISM. 



65 



in the great west. In order to show the progress of 
Methodism, and the means and instruments employed, 
I shall give you the numbers of increase of members and 
traveling preachers in 1788. Number, 539. Circuits: 
Lexington, Thomas Williamson, Peter Massie, Benjamin 
Snelling; Danville, Wilson Lee; Cumberland, David 
Coombs, Barnabas M'Henry. In 1789 : Number, 1,088. 
This year Francis Poythress was appointed presiding 
elder, and a regular district was formed. Lexington, 
James Haw, Wilson Lee, Stephen Brooks; Danville, Bar- 
Dabas M'Henry, Peter Massie ; Cumberland, Thomas 
Williamson, Joshua Hartley. In 1790 : Number, 1,366. 
Francis Poythress presiding elder. Danville, Thomas 
Williamson, Stephen Brooks ; Cumberland, James Haw, 
Wilson Lee, Peter Massie; Madison, Barnabas M'Henry, 
Benjamin Snelling, Samuel Tucker, Joseph Lillard ; Lex- 
ington, Henry Burchet, David Haggard. In 1791 : 
Number, 1,969. Francis Poythress presiding elder. 
Limestone, Peter Massie; Danville, Thomas Williamson, 
J. Tatman; Salt River, Wilson Lee, Joseph Lillard; 
Lexington, Henry Burchet, David Haggard; Cumber- 
land, Barnabas M'Henry, James O'Cull. In 1792 : Num- 
ber, 2,235. Francis Poythress presiding elder. Lime- 
stone, John Ray; Lexington, John Sewell, Benjamin 
Northcott, John Page; Danville, Wilson Lee, Richard 
Bird; Cumberland, John Ball, J. Stephenson; Henry 
Burchet, Isaac Hammer,- Salt River. 

We shall now notice the state of religion. The first 
two years were principally taken up in seeking the lost 
sheep that had been scattered in the wilderness. In 
1798 there was a new recruit of preachers sent out. 
Thomas Williamson, Wilson Lee, and David Coombs 
came from the Redstone country, which at that time was 
connected with the Baltimore conference as missionary 
ground ; but soon afterward, as early as 1791, Bishop 
6 



06 



SKETCHES OF 



Asbury held a conference at Uniontown, not far from the 
foot of Laurel Hill, in Pennsylvania. This new recruit 
consisted of young men, and all well qualified for the 
work of missionaries. They had no other object in view 
but to push forward the Redeemer's kingdom, and to 
enlarge the borders of Zion. 

The same year Barnabas M'Henry, then quite a youth, 
and one of the early fruits of Methodism in the Holston 
country, came out into the field. His parents resided in 
the Rich Valley not far from the Salt-Works, Washington 
county, Virginia. He also penetrated the wilderness, 
and came to the help of the Lord against the mighty. 
This band of young, resolute soldiers of the cross united 
under two old and experienced veterans — Francis Poy- 
thress and James Haw. Providence opened their way, 
and they began to make some favorable impressions upon 
the minds and hearts of the people. They occupied the 
whole ground, and, with the assistance of the few local 
men who had been there before them, they carried the 
war into the camp of the enemy, and in a short time a 
powerful and extensive revival took place. Hundreds 
were added to the Church ; and considering the situation 
of the country, surrounded by a wilderness, and the Indi- 
ans continually making depredations on the frontiers, and 
the people constantly harassed and penned up in forts 
and stations, it may be considered among the greatest 
revivals that was ever known. In this revival a number 
of wealthy and respectable citizens were added to the 
Church — the Hardins, Thomases, Hites, Lewises, Easlands, 
Mastersons, Kavanaughs, Tuckers, Richardsons, Letemors, 
Browns, Garretts, Churchfields, Jefferses, Hoards, and 
numbers of others of respectable standing in society; 
and out of this revival was raised up some useful and 
promising young men, who entered the traveling con- 
nection, and many of them made full proof of their 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



ministry, and lived many years to ornament the Church 
of God. I will name a few of them. Peter Massie. who 
was termed the weeping prophet, was among the first- 
fruits. He was made an instrument of great good wher- 
ever he went, scattering the holy fire. His labors were 
so great that his race was but short. He literally wore 
himself out in a few years. The zeal of God's cause 
literally consumed him. He was great and mighty in 
prayer, and always wished that he might die suddenly, 
and without lingering in pain. He labored faithfully 
for three years; and on the 18th of December, 1791, he 
was sitting in his chair at brother Hodge's, a station six 
miles south of Nashville, Tennessee, where he suddenly 
expired, in the morning about nine o'clock. So ended 
the labors of brother Massie. His remains lie near the 
Old Station, unhonored by a single stone, and to the 
present generation entirely unknown; but he rests from 
his labors in hope of a resurrection, while his immortal 
spirit is in the world of bliss and of glory. Others well 
known to the present generation of Methodists were also 
thrust out into the vineyard — John Ray, Benjamin 
Northcott, Joseph Lillard, and Joseph Tattman. In the 
year 1791 Henry Burchet and David Haggard, from the 
Virginia conference, and James O'Cull, from the Bed- 
stone country, were sent out as a reinforcement, and 
united in carrying on the work, which was still in prog- 
ress, notwithstanding the campaigns that were carried on 
against the Indians; for during this time Harmar and 
St. Clair had both been defeated on the north of the 
Ohio river, and the country constantly kept in a state of 
agitation. Still Methodism held up her head, and pre- 
sented a bold front. The societies maintained their 
ground. In 1792 the number was 2,235, and the num- 
ber of traveling preachers eleven — about two hundred 
members to one preacher. The reader may have some 



68 



SKETCHES OF 



kind of an idea what kind of pecuniary support they had. 
Traveling and preaching, night and day, in weariness and 
want; many days without the necessaries of life, and 
always without those comforts that are now enjoyed by 
traveling preachers; with worn and tattered garments, 
but happy and united like a band of brothers. The 
quarterly meetings and annual conferences were high 
times. When the pilgrims met they never met without 
embracing each other, and never parted at those seasons 
without weeping. Those were days that tried men's 
souls. 

Thomas Williamson was a very successful and laborious 
preacher. He literally wore himself out in traveling and 
preaching, but ended his days in peace in the state of 
Kentucky, not far from Lexington. Wilson Lee was one 
of the most successful preachers among those early ad- 
venturers. He was a man of fine talents, meek and hum- 
ble, of a sweet disposition, and not only a Christian and 
Christian minister, but much of a gentleman. During 
his stay in Kentucky, from 1787 to 1792, he traveled 
over all the settlements of Kentucky and Cumberland, 
much admired and beloved by saint and sinner. In the 
spring of 1792, in company with Bishop Asbury, he 
crossed the wilderness from Kentucky to Virginia, where 
I met him at conference on Holston, and from thence to 
the eastward, and attended the first General conference 
at Baltimore, November 1, 1792, and remained in the 
bounds of the New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore 
conferences till he departed this life, in 1804, at Walter 
Worthington's, Ann Arundel county, Maryland. The 
last time I had the pleasure of seeing him was in G eorge- 
town, District of Columbia, on my way to the General 
conference of May 1, 1804. He was then in a very feeble 
condition. His affliction was hemorrhage of the lungs, 
<jf which he died. During the time he traveled in Ken« 



1 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



69 



tucky he passed through many sufferings and privations, 
in weariness and want, in hunger and nakedness; travel- 
ing from fort to fort, sometimes with a guard and some- 
times alone; often exposing his life; for the savages 
were constantly in quest of plunder and of life; and 
scarcely a week passed without hearing of some one fall- 
ing a prey to them; and what we say of brother Lee may 
be said of all the traveling preachers, as it respects their 
exposure and suffering, till the year 1794 — the year of 
Wayne's campaign — when the northern Indians were 
held in fear and finally subdued. 

In 1791 Henry Burchet was sent from the Virginia 
conference and stationed on Lexington circuit; in 1792 
on Salt River. On both those circuits he was eminently 
useful. He was very zealous, and declined no labor or 
suffering, but offered himself a willing sacrifice to the 
cause of his Redeemer. He was among the first preach- 
ers in the west who took a deep interest in the rising 
generation. In every neighborhood where it was practi- 
cable he formed the children into classes, sang and prayed 
with them, catechised them, and exhorted them. For 
this work he had a peculiar turn, and was successful in 
carrying out his plan of instruction. Many years after I 
have heard the young people in Kentucky and Cumber- 
land speak in the highest terms of Henry Burchet. At 
the conference held at Masterson's Station, in May, 1793, 
our beloved brother Burchet was in a poor state of health. 
He had labored the preceding year on Salt River circuit, 
the most extensive in the district, requiring more labor 
and suffering than any other in the country. Before the 
close of the year he felt a great weakness in his breast 
and spitting of blood. At the conference it appeared 
that Cumberland must be left to be provided for hereaf- 
ter. Brother Burchet said, "Here am I, send me." His 
friends remonstrated against his going; the distance was 



70 



SKETCHES OF 



great; considerable danger from Indians; the small-pox 
prevailing in the country— all was urged against his 
going; but after asking the consent of Bishop Asbury 
and the conference, he said, "If I perish who can doubt 
of my eternal rest, or fail to say, Let me die the death of 
the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" He 
labored with great success in Cumberland. Though weak 
and much afflicted in his breast, he held on his way till 
late in the fall, when he was obliged to stop traveling. 
He was a welcome guest at the house of a rich planter, 
two miles west of Nashville, by the name of James Hock- 
ett. where he remained, enjoying the hospitality of the 
family and the visits of his numerous friends, till the 
month of February, 1794, when he departed this life, in 
hope of eternal blessedness in the kingdom of God. At 
his request he was wrapped in white flannel and commit- 
ted to the silent grave. I often visited his grave in 1795 
and 1798; but I suppose since that day strangers are in 
the possession of the premises, and every vestige of the 
spot where he lies is obliterated, and, with the exception 
of a few, his name is forgotten. It is now forty-five 
years since Henry Burchet ceased to labor and to live. 
" Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from hence- 
forth, saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labors, and 
their works follow them." 

James Haw must next claim our attention. He was 
the first traveling Methodist preacher that entered on the 
field in Kentucky in 1786. He was an able and success- 
ful laborer in the Lord's vineyard. Numerous were the 
sufferings and hardships that he underwent in planting 
the standard of the cross in that wild and uncultivated 
region, surrounded with savages, and traveling from fort 
to fort, and every day exposing his life; and, notwith- 
standing every difficulty and embarrassment, the good 
work progressed. In the years 1787, 1788, and 1789 the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



Ti 



holy flame spread all over Kentucky and Cumberland. 
Haw, Poythress, Wilson Lee, and Williamson were the 
chief instruments in carrying on this great work. We 
may gather something from a letter written by James 
Haw to Bishop Asbury in the beginning of the year 
1789. 

It reads: "Good news from Zion; the work of God is 
going on rapidly in the new world; a glorious victory the 
Son of God has gained, and he is still going on conquer- 
ing and to conquer. Shout, ye angels ! Hell trembles 
and heaven rejoices daily over sinners that repent. At a 
quarterly meeting held in Bourbon county, Kentucky, 
July 19th and 20th, 1788, the Lord poured out his Spirit 
in a wonderful manner, first on the Christians, and sanc- 
tified several of them powerfully and gloriously, and, as I 
charitably hope, wholly. The seekers also felt the power 
and presence of God, and cried for mercy as at the point 
of death. We prayed with and for them, till we had 
reason to believe that the Lord converted seventeen or 
eighteen precious souls. Halleluiah, praise ye the Lord ! 

"As I went from that through the circuit to another 
quarterly meeting, the Lord converted two or three more. 
The Saturday and Sunday following the Lord poured out 
his Spirit again. The work of sanctification among the 
believers broke out again at the Lord's table, and the 
Spirit of the Lord went through the assembly like a 
mighty rushing wind. Some fell; many cried for mercy. 
Sighs and groans proceeded from their hearts; tears of 
sorrow for sin ran streaming down their eyes. Their 
prayers reached to heaven, and the Spirit of the Lord 
entered into them and filled fourteen or fifteen with peace 
and joy in believing. 'Salvation, the joyful sound; 
how the echo flies !' A few days after brother Poythress 
came and went with me to another quarterly meeting 
Wc had another gracious season round the Lord's table. 



SKETCHES OF 



but no remarkable stir till after preaching; when under 
severa! exhortations some bursted out into tears, others 
trembled, an I some fell. I sprang in among the people, 
and the Lord converted one more very powerfully, who 
praised the Lord with such acclamation of joy as I trust 
will never be forgotten. The Sunday following 1 preached 
my farewell sermon and met the class, and the Lord con- 
verted three more. Glory be to his holy name forever! 

11 The first round I went on Cumberland the Lord con- 
verted six precious souls, and I joined three gracious 
Baptists to our Church; and every round, I have reason 
to believe, some sinners are awakened, some seekers 
joined to society, and some penitents converted to God. 
At our Cumberland quarterly meeting the Lord converted 
six souls the first day, and one the next. Glory, honor, 
praise, and power be unto God forever! The work still 
goes on. I have joined two more serious Baptists since 
the quarterly meeting. The Lord has converted several 
more precious souls in various parts of the circuit, and 
some more have joined the society, so that we have one 
hundred and twelve disciples now in Cumberland — forty- 
seven of whom, I trust, have received the gift of the 
Holy Ghost since they believed; and I hope these are but 
the first of a universal harvest which God will give us iu 
this country. Brother Massie is with me, going on 
weeping over sinners, and the Lord blesses his labors. A 
letter from brother Williamson, dated November 10th, 
1788, informs me that the work is still going on rapidly 
in Kentucky; that at two quarterly meetings since I 
came away, the Lord poured out his Spirit, and converted 
ten penitents and sanctified five believers, at the first, and 
twenty more were converted at the second; indeed, the 
wilderness and solitary places are glad, and the desert 
rejoices and blossoms as the rose, and, I trust, will soon 
become beautiful as Tiria and comely as Jerumferm. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



73 



"What shall I more say? Time would fail to tell you 
all the Lord's doings among us. It is marvelous in our 
eyes. To him be the glory, honor, praise, power, might, 
majesty, and dominion, both now and forever, amen and 
amen ! 

"P. S. Some of our responsible members of Cumber- 
land have formerly lived at a place called Natchez, on the 
Mississippi river, then under the British, now under the 
Government of Spain. There are, they say, six or seven 
hundred American families there who have no Protestant 
minister of any kind, and I fear are perishing for want 
of the bread of life. I expect to know by the spring if 
there be free and full toleration for the Protestant relig- 
ion there, and if there be to make the report to the con- 
ference. " 

The conference year of 1789 closed the labors of James 
Haw in Kentucky. The superintendence of the work was 
now altogether under the direction of F. Poythress, both 
in Kentucky and Cumberland. The circuits were well 
supplied in 1790 : Danville, Thomas Williamson, Stephen 
Brooks; Cumberland, Wilson Lee, James Haw, Peter 
Massiej Madison, Barnabas M'Henry, Benjamin Snelling; 
Limestone, Samuel Tucker, Joseph Lillard; Lexington, 
Henry Burchet, David Haggard. Methodism still found 
favor in the eyes of the people, and the good work pro- 
gressed, and numbers were added to the societies ; and the 
circuits were enlarged in proportion as the immigration 
increased and new settlements were formed. In the 
course of three years the increase was rising one thou- 
sand. In 1794, the year of Wayne's campaign, the work 
declined very much, and many turned aside from the 
right way. Discipline was strictly attended to, and many 
expelled from the societies. The Indian war having 
terminated the people began to scatter in every direction. 
New settlements were formed, and Ohio and Indiana 
7 



SKETCHES OF 



began to settle rapidly, and the societies many of them 
were broken up, and we had not preachers sufficient to 
follow the tide of emigration to their new settlements; 
consequently, we had a considerable decrease of members 
in the year 1795 and till 1801, when the great revival 
commenced and spread throughout all the western coun- 
try; so that at the end of the conference year 1802, we 
had doubled our numbers from that of 1795. The revival 
also produced a great increase of local and traveling 
preachers. 

The conference year of 1801 commenced a new era in 
the west. Mr. Asbury changed the name of the confer- 
ence from that of Kentucky to that of the Western con- 
ference, which embraced all the western country then 
occupied by the Methodists; and William M'Kendree 
was appointed presiding elder. The circuits that com- 
posed the conference, and the preachers stationed this 
year, were as follows: Scioto and Miami, Henry Smith; 
Limestone, Benjamin Lakin; Hinkston and Lexington, 
William Burke, Thomas Wilkerson, and Lewis Hunt, 
Danville, Hezekiah Harraman; Salt Biver and Shelby, 
John Sale and William Marsh; Cumberland, John Page, 
Benjamin Young; Green, Samuel Douthel, Ezekiel Bur- 
dine ; Holston and Bussell, James Hunter ; New Biver, 
John Watson. In the commencement of this year the 
appearance was rather gloomy in different sections of the 
work. The district was very large, and the presiding 
elder could not perform his round in less than six months. 

The spring of 1801 the quarterly meetings in Ken- 
tucky were held without the presiding elder. The quar- 
terly meeting for Hinkston circuit was held early in June, 
at Owens' s meeting-house, Four-mile creek, commencing 
on Friday and breaking up on Monday morning. At this 
meeting was the first appearance of that astonishing 
revival to which we have alluded. Several professed to 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



75 



get religion, and many were under deep conviction for 
sin, and the meeting continued from Sunday morning till 
Monday morning, with but little intermission. From 
thence brother Lakin and myself proceeded in company, 
on Monday morning, to a Presbyterian sacrament, at 
Salem meeting-house, in the neighborhood of Col. John 
Martin's. The Rev. Mr. Lyle was pastor of that Church. 
There had been during the occasion more than ordinary 
attention and seriousness manifested. I arrived on the 
ground before the first sermon was concluded, and during 
the interval they insisted on my preaching the next ser- 
mon; and, notwithstanding I was much fatigued from the 
labors of the quarterly meeting, I at length consented, 
and commenced about two o'clock, P. M. I took for my 
text, "To you is the word of this salvation sent;" and 
before I concluded there was a great trembling among 
the dry bones. G-reat numbers fell to the ground and 
cried for mercy, old and young. Brother Lakin followed 
with one of his then powerful exhortations, and the work 
increased. The Presbyterian ministers stood astonished, 
not knowing what to make of such a tumult. Brother 
Lakin and myself proceeded to exhort and pray with 
them. Some obtained peace with God before the meet- 
ing broke up. This was the first appearance of the revi- 
val in the Presbyterian Church. From these two meet- 
ings the heavenly flame spread in every direction. 
Preachers and people, when they assembled for meeting, 
always expected the Lord to meet with them. Our next 
quarterly meeting was for Lexington circuit, at Jesse 
Griffith's, Scott county. On Saturday we had some indi- 
cations of a good work. On Saturday night we had 
preaching in different parts of the neighborhood, which 
at that time was the custom ; so that every local preacher 
and exhorter was employed in the work. Success at* 
tended the meetings, and on Sunday morning they came 



76 



SKETCHES OF 



in companies singing and shouting on the road. Love- 
feast was opened on Sunday morning at eight o'clock, 
and such was the power and presence of God that the 
doors were thrown open, and the work became general, 
and continued till Monday afternoon, during which time 
numbers experienced justification by faith in the name 
of Jesus Christ. The work spread now into the several 
circuits. Salt River and Shelby were visited, and Dan- 
ville shared in the blessing ; also the Presbyterian 
Church caught the fire. Congregations were universally 
wakened up: M'Namer's congregation on Cabin creek; 
Barton Stone's at Cane Ridge; Reynolds's near Ruddell's 
Station and in Paris; Rev. Mr. Lisle at Salem; Mr. 
Rankin, Walnut Hills ; Mr. Blythe at Lexington and 
Woodford; and Rev. Mr. Walsh at Cane run; likewise 
in Madison county, under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. 
Houston. The work extended to Ohio at Lower Spring- 
field, Hamilton county; Rev. Mr. Thompson's congrega- 
tion and Eagle creek; Rev. Mr. Dunlavey's congregation, 
Adams county. The Methodist local preachers and 
exhorters, and the members generally, united with them 
in carrying on the work, for they were at home wher- 
ever Grod was pleased to manifest his power ; and having 
had some experience in such a school, were able to teach 
others. The Presbyterian ministers saw the advantage 
of such auxiliaries, and were pressing in their invita- 
tions, both for the traveling and local preachers, to 
attend their sacraments through the months of July and 
August. The Rev. Barton Stone was pastor of the 
Church at Cane Ridge. I had been formerly acquainted 
with him when he traveled as a missionary in the Hol- 
ston and Cumberland country, previous to his settling at 
Cane Ridge ; and we agreed to have a united sacrament 
of the Presbyterians and Methodists at Cane Ridge meet- 
ing-house, in August. The meeting was published, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



77 



throughout the length and breadth of the country, tc 
commence on Friday. On the first day I arrived in the 
neighborhood; but it was a rainy day, and I did not 
attend on the ground. On Saturday morning I attended. 
On Friday and Friday night they held meeting in the 
meeting house ; and such was the power and presence of 
God on Friday night that the meeting continued all 
night; and next morning, Saturday, they repaired to a 
stand erected in the woods, the work still going on in the 
house, which continued there till Wednesday, without 
intermission. On Saturday the congregation was very 
numerous. The Presbyterians continued to occupy the 
stand during Saturday and Saturday night, whenever 
they could get a chance to be heard; but never invited 
any Methodist preacher to preach. On Sunday morning 
Mr. Stone, with some of the elders of the session, waited 
upon me to have a conference on the subject of the 
approaching sacrament, which was to be administered in 
the afternoon. The object in calling on me was, that I 
should make from the stand a public declaration how 
the Methodists held certain doctrines, etc. I told them 
we preached every day, and that our doctrines were pub- 
lished to the world through the press. Come and hear, 
go and read; and if that was the condition on which we 
were to unite in the sacrament, "Every man to his tent, 

Israel;" for I should require of him to make a public 
declaration of their belief in certain doctrines. He then 
replied that we had better drop the subject; that he was 
perfectly satisfied, but that some of his elders were not. 

1 observed that they might do as they thought best; but 
the subject got out among the Methodists, and a number 
did not partake of the sacrament, as none of our preach* 
ers were invited to assist in administering. 

There is a mistaken opinion with regard to this meet- 
ing. Some writers of late represent it as having been a 



78 SKETCHES OF 

camp meeting. It is true there were a number of wag- 
ons and carriages, which remained on the ground night 
and day; but not a single tent was to be found, neither 
was any such thing as camp meetings heard of at that 
time. Preaching in the woods was a common thing at 
popular meetings, as meeting-houses in the west were not 
sufficient to hold the large number of people that at- 
tended on such occasions. This was the case at Cane 
Kidge. 

On Sunday morning, when I came on the ground, I was 
met by my friends, to know if I was going to preach for 
them on that day. I told them I had not been invited ; 
if I was, I should certainly do so. The morning passed 
off, but no invitation. Between ten and eleven I found a 
convenient place on the body of a fallen tree, about fif- 
teen feet from the ground, where I fixed my stand in the 
open sun, with an umbrella affixed to a long pole and held 
over my head by brother Hugh Barnes. I commenced 
reading a hymn with an audible voice, and by the time 
we concluded singing and praying we had around us, 
standing on their feet, by fair calculation ten thousand 
people. I gave out my text in the following words : "For 
we must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;" 
and before I concluded my voice was not to be heard for 
the groans of the distressed and the shouts of triumph. 
Hundreds fell prostrate to the ground, and the work con- 
tinued on that spot till Wednesday afternoon. It was 
estimated by some that not less than five hundred were at 
one time lying on the ground in the deepest agonies of 
distress, and every few minutes rising in shouts of tri- 
umph. Toward the evening I pitched the only tent on 
the ground. Having been accustomed to travel the wil- 
derness, I soon had a tent constructed out of poles and 
papaw bushes. Here I remained Sunday night, and 
Monday and Monday night; and during that time there 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



79 



was not a single moment's cessation, but the work went 
on, and old and young, men, women, and children, were 
converted to God. It was estimated that on Sunday and 
Sunday night there were twenty thousand people on the 
ground. They had come far and near from all parts of 
Kentucky; some from Tennessee, and from north of the 
Ohio river; so that tidings of Cane Eidge meeting was 
carried to almost every corner of the country, and the 
holy fire spread in all directions. 

Immediately after this meeting the last round of quar- 
terly meetings commenced for that conference year, and 
they were appointed for four clays, to commence on Fri- 
day. The work continued, and quarterly meetings were 
attended by thousands, and generally continued night 
and day with but little intermission < and during the 
week, at appointments in different parts of the country, 
we had to preach in the groves to thousands of people. 
We gave invitations to all the Presbyterian ministers to 
unite with us at our quarterly meetings ; but they gener- 
ally pleaded as an excuse that they had appointments to 
attend, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would pass off 
without any aid from them ; but on Monday we generally 
saw some of their ministers in the congregation, but hav- 
ing our plans filled up for that day we consequently paid 
no attention to them; for we were fully satisfied that 
they only wanted the Methodists to shake the bush, and 
they would catch the birds. My advice to our official 
members in quarterly meeting conference was, to quietly 
withdraw from their meetings, and mind our own busi- 
ness. They did so, and no difficulty occurred in any of 
our societies. This conference year ended with the 
greatest prospects that had ever visited the far west. 

In the year 1801 the Presbyterians had some gracious 
revivals in Sumner county, Tennessee, and Logan county, 
Kentucky. The two M'Gees, John — an old traveling 



80 



SKETCHES OF 



preacher, who had located and settled on the Cumberland 
river — and his brother William, a Presbyterian minister, 
with two other Presbyterians, Messrs. Rankin and Hodges, 
in connection with brothers Page and Wilkerson, were 
united in carrying on the work both among the Methodists 
and Presbyterians; but the conference of 1802 opened with 
greater prospects, and the work became universal in Ten- 
nessee. The Presbyterians appeared to have forgotten 
that they had any Confession of Faith or discipline, and 
the Methodists had laid aside their Discipline, and 
seemed to forget that they were bound to observe the 
rules contained therein, and as established from time to 
time by the General conference. 

I visited the old stamping-ground, Sumner and David- 
son counties, where I had labored in 1795, and again in 
1798, and found a great change. The class meetings 
were free to all ; the love-feasts open to all; and they 
were mixed up in such confusion that it was impossible 
to tell to what Church or denomination they belonged. 
The Western annual conference for the year sat at Strau- 
ther's, in Sumner county, Tennessee. Bishop Asbury 
presided. There was a general attendance of the preach- 
ers, and the conference sat in the house of brother 
Strauther, and the public exercises were in the woods at 
a stand in hearing of the house. The conference and 
the public exercises were of the same mixed charac- 
ter. To my astonishment, on the first day of the con- 
ference several of the Presbyterian clergymen were intro- 
duced into the conference, and remained during that 
day. When the conference adjourned I took brother 
M'Kendree aside, and stated to him my views on the 
impropriety of the course pursued in breaking down all 
our rules and regulations as Methodists ; but especially 
in our annual conference, I observed to him, that many 
of our local brethren, and some who had been traveling 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



SI 



preachers for years, were excluded a seat among us, while 
those ministers of another denomination were admitted 
and not objected to. I insisted on him, as the presiding 
elder, to enter his objection when we met the next morn- 
ing. He admitted it was wrong, but said he could not 
broach the subject, as Mr. Asbury appeared to entertain 
such favorable notions of the union that then prevailed. 
E observed that I was no enemy to union and communion 
with any denomination upon proper principles, and if he 
declined I would bring the subject before the conference, 
and accordingly did so on the sitting of the conference 
next morning. I stated my objections at length, and 
cited our Discipline, and insisted that our rules estab- 
lished class meetings and love-feasts as wise and pruden- 
tial means, and that they were peculiar to the Methodist 
Church. Other denominations did not consider them 
either wise or prudential, or they would introduce them 
into their Churches ; and why should they wish to in- 
trude on our privileges, while they, by their own show- 
ing, considered them no privilege? and in regard to the 
annual conference, the Discipline clearly pointed out who 
had the right to a place in their sittings, etc. Mr. As- 
bury decidedly opposed my views, and stated to the con- 
ference that I was but a young man, and referred the 
conference to some of Mr. Wesley's views and conduct 
on like occasions. No member of the conference took 
sides with me, but all remained silent; and when Mr. 
Asbury concluded his remarks, I made my rejoinder, and 
acknowledged that I was but a junior, but thought I 
understood Methodist Discipline, and that as a Church 
we were not to be governed by Mr. Wesley's views or the 
views of any other man, however aged, but by the rules 
laid down by the General conference ; and if the Presby- 
terians, or any other denomination, had a desire to enjoy 
what we esteemed privileges, let them adopt them in 



82 



SKETCHES OF 



their Churches, and then we would reciprocate, and not 
till then. When I concluded my observations I requested 
Mr. Asbury to give me my appointment in this country, 
and I assured him I would soon put a stop to the present 
mode of doing business. He observed that I was too 
cold for that climate; that I should go further north. 
And here our controversy ended; but we had no more 
Presbyterian ministers during the sitting of conference. 
Mr. Asbury was at that time not able to walk alone, from 
a rheumatic affection in his feet, and brother M'Kendree 
had to accompany him to the Holston country; and after 
they arrived in the settlement in the neighborhood of 
Knoxville, the subject of what I had said at conference 
was brought up, and Mr. Asbury acknowledged that I had 
taken the proper ground, and wrote me on the subject, 
stating that reciprocity was the true doctrine. He also 
wrote to Mr. Rankin and Mr. Hodges his views, and at 
the next conference at Mount Gerizim, 1803, he preached 
that doctrine to the conference. 

From the conference at Strauther's, October, 1802, I 
received my appointment on Limestone circuit alone. I 
was appointed at the conference to attend the Legislature 
of Kentucky and obtain an act of incorporation for 
Bethel Academy. I performed that duty and arrived on 
my circuit late in November. I took with me Adjet 
M'G-uire, a young man that had been lately licensed to 
preach, and employed him as a helper, which was after- 
ward sanctioned by the presiding elder. When I entered 
upon my circuit, I found that, to a very great extent, the 
people were prejudiced against a married preacher, and I 
could find no house open at which I could board my 
wife, either for love or money. In this state of affairs I 
was brought to a stand. I had some little money, and 
found a few friends; and in those days I considered my- 
self equal to any emergency, and immediately set about 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



83 



cutting logs for a cabin, and a few friends assisted me in 
getting them together, and I purchased some plank and 
brick, and in the course of a few weeks had a snug little 
room fitted up adjoining brother L. Fitch's, about three 
miles from Flemingsburg. During the time I was build- 
ing my cabin I attended my Sunday appointments, and 
through the week attended to my work and collecting 
materials to fit out my cabin; and having accomplished 
that business, I entered regularly upon my work. The 
circuit had been much neglected the past year, and relig- 
ion was at a low ebb, and we commenced in good earnest. 
The winter was severe and the congregations but small. 
On the opening of spring I commenced two days' meet- 
ings, and called together the local preachers to my aid. 
Early in June we had a two days' meeting at Union meet- 
ing-house, not far from German town; and on that occa- 
sion it pleased Grod to manifest his power in a very singu- 
lar manner on Sunday, and the first-fruits was the con- 
version of brother Petticord's oldest daughter. Brother 
Petticord was one of the first race of Methodists from 
Frederick county, Maryland, and a relative of Caleb B. 
Petticord, who was admitted on trial as a traveling 
preacher in 1777. This meeting continued on Sunday 
night and part of Monday, and numbers were seriously 
affected. From this meeting the holy flame spread in 
every direction, and the work became general throughout 
the circuit, at Bracken meeting-house, and Shannon, and 
Flemingsburg, and Locust meeting-house, and at private 
houses, and our congregations became crowded night and 
day. 

In August we had a four days' meeting at Shannon 
meeting-house. This was a time that numbers still liv- 
ing well remember. This meeting continued night and 
day, without intermission. I was employed night and 
day without sleeping for three nights. Brother M'Ken- 

I 



84 



SKETCHES OF 



dree preached on Monday morning, and while he was 
preaching the power of God rested on the congregation; 
and about the middle of his sermon it came down upon 
him jn such a manner that he sank down into my arms 
while sitting behind him in the pulpit. His silence 
called every eye to the pulpit. I instantly raised him up 
to his feet, and the congregation said his face beamed 
with glory. He shouted out the praise of God, and it 
appeared like an electric shock in the congregation 
Many fell to the floor like men slain in the field of battle. 
The meeting continued till late in the afternoon, and wit- 
nesses were raised up to declare that God had power on 
earth to forgive sin, and many did say he could cleanse 
from all unrighteousness. From this meeting the work 
went on with astonishing power; hundreds were con- 
verted to God; and one of the most pleasing features of 
this revival was, that almost all the children of the old, 
faithful Methodists were the subjects of the work. 

Our last quarterly meeting was at Flemingsburg, at 
which brother Nicholas Snethen and brother M'Kendree 
attended, and preached in the power and demonstration 
of the Spirit. It was a time long to be remembered. 
There was one peculiar circumstance which I will relate. 
Old father Duzan, who had raised a numerous family of 
sons and daughters, and then had a son in the traveling 
connection, was surrounded by his family and engaged m 
prayer on the ground. Presently he was seen supporting 
his youngest son, and proclaiming aloud to those around, 
" Glory to God, he has converted my last child. Now let 
me, thy servant, depart in peace; for my eyes have seen 
thy salvation." This conference year closed with an 
increase for Limestone circuit of about five hundred. 
The people were anxious for my return for the next year. 
There were now houses enough open to receive me to live 
in and cost me nothing. The preachers who united in 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



85 



carrying on this work, were Benjamin Northcott, James 
O'Cull, Jarvis Taylor, Joshua Sargent, Jeremiah Lawson, 
Hugh Barnes, and Richard Tilton, together with many 
exhorters and leaders, who entered heartily into the work. 
This year ended the happiest days of my itinerant life; 
for the happiest days of a Methodist preacher is to be on 
a circuit where he can pursue a regular course and preach 
every day. I had the honor of lodging the Bishop one 
night, in the log-cabin I had built, while on his way to 
conference. 

The conference this year was at Mount Gerizim, Octo- 
ber 2, 1803. At this conference Mr. Asbury insisted that 
I should cross the Ohio and take upon me the formation 
of a new district in that new and wilderness country, and 
act as presiding elder. I took several days to think on 
the subject, and gave him for answer, that I considered 
myself not sufficiently qualified for such a responsible un- 
dertaking; but he would not take no for an answer, but 
appointed me presiding elder of Ohio district, which 
included all the settlements from the Big Miami up to 
the neighborhood of Steubenville, which was then called 
West Wheeling circuit, running down the Ohio, includ- 
ing Little Kanawha and Guyandotte circuits, in Virginia, 
and some settlements on Licking, in the state of Ken- 
tucky. 

I entered upon my work about the last of October, 
1803. The first quarterly meeting was at Ward's meet- 
ing-house — a new house built of rough beech logs — on 
Duck creek, Hamilton county, near where Madisonville is 
now situated — John Sale and Joseph Oglesby were the 
circuit preachers. This was then called the Miami cir- 
cuit, and included all the settlements between the Mi- 
amis and as far north including the settlements on Mad 
river, as high up as the neighborhood where Urbana now 
stands, and east of the Little Miami as high up as the 



86 



SKETCHES OF 



settlements on Bullskin, and all the settlements on the 
East Fork of the Little Miami, and a few settlements in 
Campbell county, Kentucky. This route the preachers 
accomplished in six weeks. We organized two quarterly 
meetings in the bounds, so that the presiding elder was 
two weeks in the bounds of the circuit, preaching nearly 
every day. The most easterly appointment was at brother 
Boggs's, on the Little Miami, a few miles from the Yellow 
Springs. From that point we generally started at day- 
light fo* the settlements on the Scioto, having between 
forty and fifty miles, without a house, to the first inhabit- 
ants at old Chilicothe. The Scioto circuit included all 
that tract of country inhabited on Paint creek out to 
New Market, Brush creek, Eagle creek, and Ohio Brush 
creek, and up the Ohio to the mouth of Scioto, and then 
up the Scioto to the Pickaway Plains, including Chili- 
cothe and the settlements on White's creek, a four weeks' 
circuit. From thence one day's ride to the settlements 
in Hocking Valley, which was called Hocking circuit, 
which laid principally on that river and its tributaries, 
and a few settlements on the waters of Walnut creek. 
From New Lancaster we generally took two days and a 
half to reach the bounds of West Wheeling circuit, in 
the neighborhood where St. Clairsville is now located. 
This was a four weeks' circuit, including the settlements 
on the Ohio river, and extending back to the frontier set- 
tlements on the West Wheeling and Short creeks, etc. 
From this point we returned by the same route to New 
Lancaster, and then down the Hocking to Sunday creek 
and Monday creek, and then over to Marietta circuit. 
This circuit was up and down the Ohio from Marietta as 
low down as the settlements were formed, and up to the 
head of Long Reach, and up the Muskingum river as 
far as Clover Bottom and Wolf creek, and so down to the 
neighborhood of Marietta, and over the Ohio into Vir- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



87 



ginia on the waters of the Little Kanawha. This was 
called the Muskingum and Little Kanawha circuits. It 
was but a three weeks' circuit, and had one preacher. 
From the neighborhood of Marietta we started down the 
Ohio river by way of Graham's Station to the mouth of 
the Great Kanawha, and down to Green Bottom — brother 
Spurlock's — which was the first appointment on Guyan- 
dotte circuit. This circuit contained all the territory 
south and west of the Great Kanawha, and down to the 
mouth of Big Sandy and the settlements back from the 
Ohio river. This was a field of labor that required about 
eleven weeks to accomplish, and many privations. The 
Methodists were, in those days, like angels' visits, few 
and far between, and we were half our time obliged to 
put up in taverns and places of entertainment, subject to 
the disorder and abuse of the unprincipled and half-civ- 
ilized inmates, suffering with hunger and cold, and sleep- 
ing in open cabins on the floor, sometimes without bed or 
covering, and but little prospect of any support from the 
people among whom we labored, and none from any other 
source ; for there was no provision in those days for mis- 
sionaries. But, notwithstanding all the privations and 
sufferings that we endured, we had the consolation that 
our labor was not in vain in the Lord. We were gratified 
in having souls for our hire, and rejoiced to see the wil- 
derness blossom as the rose. New societies sprang up in 
various places, the circuits were enlarged, immigration 
increased, and the forest was subdued, and comforts mul- 
tiplied. In the fall of 1805 I was removed from the 
Ohio district to the Kentucky district, and brother John 
Sale was appointed my successor. The Western confer- 
ence for this year was held at brother Houstin's, in Scott 
county, Kentucky, October 2d. Bishops Asbury and 
Whatcoat attended at this conference. Our borders be- 
came greatly enlarged. We now included in the Western 



88 



SKETCHES OF 



conference five districts, stretching from the Muskingum, 
in Ohio, to the Opelousas, in Louisiana. 

The two years that I presided in the Ohio district laid 
the foundation for the future success of Methodism, We 
had been successful in introducing our doctrines into 
almost every neighborhood, and this formed a nucleus for 
the immigrants that were constantly arriving in the coun- 
try. Numbers of Methodists from Virginia, Maryland, 
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the eastern states, settled 
in the Miami, Scioto, Hocking, and Muskingum Valleys, 
and a goodly number of valuable local preachers settled 
among them, and united with us in carrying on the 
good work of God, under the superintendence of divine 
Providence. Numbers of young men were raised up in 
different sections of the western country, and entered 
the missionary field full of zeal, and eminently pious, 
and by this means we were enabled to follow immigration 
and the wide-spread settlements. 

In 1804 the number of circuits in the Western confer- 
ence was twenty-six, and the number of preachers sta- 
tioned was thirty-seven, and but one district in Ohio. In 
1810, which included brother Sale's four years on Ohio 
district, the work had extended, and there were three 
districts north-west of the Ohio river, and twenty-one 
circuits; number of preachers, thirty-one. The number 
of circuits for this year in the Western conference was 
fifty-nine, and the number of preachers stationed was 
eighty-one. In 1804 the number of members in the Ohio 
district was one thousand, two hundred and fifteen, and in 
the bounds of the Western conference, nine thousand, 
seven hundred and eighty. In 1810 the number in Ohio 
was eight thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one; and 
in the bounds of the Western conference, twenty-two 
thousand, nine hundred and four. Compare this with 
1798. Number of preachers in Ohio, John Koblerj 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



89 



number of members, ninety-nine. Number of preachers 
in the bounds of the Western conference, fourteen; and 
tbe number of members, two thousand, five hundred and 
ninety-five. To compare the present number in the bounds 
of Ohio, in fifty-six years they increased from ninety-nine 
to at least one hundred and fifty thousand. Surely this is 
the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. In 
1798 was the first introduction of itinerancy north-west 
of the Ohio; and one solitary pilgrim passed over the 
brook hunting up the lost sheep of the house of Israel ; 
and now behold them spread into bands, not only in Ohio, 
but Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Mis- 
souri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota, 
Nebraska, Salt Lake, Oregon, and California, all of which 
at that time was comparatively a vast howling wilderness ! 

The exposure and labor incident to my appointment 
brought on severe attacks of bilious fever. At one time 
my life was despaired of ; and in the fall of 1805 Mr. 
Asbury thought best to remove me to the Kentucky dis- 
trict. Here I was among my old friends with whom I 
had fought many a battle sore, and dried up Enon, near to 
Salem, and caused the doctrines of unconditional election 
and reprobation to become a stench in the nostrils of 
those who calmly investigated the subject. I spent four 
years in that district with great satisfaction to myself, and 
also to the people whom I was sent to serve. There were 
but a few things that interrupted our harmony and peace. 
One was, that in consequence of my illness I could not 
attend a meeting where the sacrament was to be admin- 
istered. I sent a deacon with instructions to administer, 
which was called in question by some, and complaint 
entered against me; but I sustained the position I had 
taken, on the ground that the deacon was directed to 
assist the elder in such cases, and I succeeded in my jus- 
tification. The other was, the part I took with the local 
8 



90 



SKETCHES OF 



preachers in advocating their right to elder's orders, which 
was finally successful. In 1807 there was a meeting of 
the local deacons at my house, at which Bishop Asbury 
was present, and favored the plan. The agitation after 
this meeting settled down quietly, and my opponents 
remained quiet. 

I was next appointed to the Salt River district, where 
I remained two years, during which time another diffi- 
culty arose. A traveling elder was accused of immo- 
rality ; and among the charges and specifications were 
some of improper words. I examined the charges, and 
for improper words I, as his presiding elder, acted upon 
them officially, and did not submit them to the commit- 
tee, for which they charged me at conference with mal- 
administration ; but the conference sustained me. We 
had in general very good times throughout the district; 
but the field was a large one, including a very extensive 
territory; consequently, at the end of two years I was 
willing to have some better situation, and received my 
appointment to the Cincinnati circuit. Here I had for 
my helper John Strange. We passed an agreeable year; 
and at the conference held at Chilicothe, in the fall of 
1811, I was appointed to Cincinnati station, it being the 
first station in the state of Ohio. I organized the sta- 
tion, and many of the rules and regulations that I estab- 
lished are still in use. We had but one church in the 
city, and it went under the name of the Stone Church. I 
preached three times every Sunday, and on Wednesday 
night ; and while stationed in that house my voice failed 
me. The Methodists being too poor to buy a stove to 
warm the house in winter, and on Sunday morning it 
being generally crowded, their breath would condense on 
the walls, and the water would run down and across the 
floor. The next conference I did not attend, but was ap- 
pointed supernumerary on the Cincinnati circuit* I wae 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



93 



not able to do much, but to give advice in certain cases. 
This year I closed mj itinerancy, and sold my horse, 
bridle, saddle-bags, and saddle, and gathered up the 
fragments, and the fortune that I had made from twenty- 
six years' labor amounted to three hundred dollars. 
From the 9th of January, 1796, I traveled as a married 
man, no allowance being made for the wife. Part of the 
time sixty-four dollars was allowed a traveling preacher, 
and he must find his own horse and fixins, his own ward- 
robe and that of his wife, together with her board; and 
the other part of the time it was eighty dollars, still 
nothing for wife. I was the first married preacher in the 
west who traveled after marrying. I met with every dis- 
couragement that could be thrown in my way. Preachers 
and people said, " You had better locate." I shared 
equally with the single men when they were on the cir- 
cuit with me, in order to keep peace. I bore all the mur- 
murings and complainings from every quarter, and ap- 
peared at conference every year ready for work. One win- 
ter I had to use a borrowed blanket instead of a cloak or 
overcoat. That year my wife was among her relations, and 
well taken care of. Now a man is no preacher except he 
has a wife and family, whose allowance is one hundred 
dollars, and wife the same, and children provided for; 
house rent, fuel, and table expenses ; the bishops' sala- 
ries to the full secured, and for presiding elders so much 
is apportioned among the circuits and stations. The 
allowance to many of the preachers of the present day 
varies from eight hundred to fifteen hundred dollars per 
year, while the poor superannuate must find his own 
house, pay his rent, furnish his own table, etc., and 
receive from the conference steward sometimes fourteen 
and twenty dollars, and sometimes as high as forty dol- 
lars ; and how can a superannuate keep soul and body 
together on that dividend ? I am superannuate in the 



92 



SKETCHES OF 



Southern division, and know not how I shall make out to 
live. My labors and sufferings to cultivate and prepare 
the way for my brethren in the Kentucky, Tennessee, 
and Ohio conferences, are all known to God and the 
Church, and my testimony is in heaven. None seem to 
care for my circumstances now. I am at present in my 
eighty-fifth year, and can not stay much longer in the 
tabernacle; but, through riches of grace in Christ Jesus, 
I have for me prepared "a building of God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



93 



CHAPTER IV. 

MICHAEL ELLIS. 

In sketching the life of this great and good man — we 
say great, because all true greatness must have goodness 
for its basis, and this he possessed in an eminent degree — 
we regret that history furnishes us no record of the date 
and place of his birth, except that he was born in the 
state of Maryland. He was among the first that em- 
braced religion in that state through the instrumentality 
of Wesley's missionaries. The field was then white unto 
harvest, and laborers were much needed to gather that 
harvest; hence, they were thrust out in the order of God's 
providence, in a way that the wisdom of the men of the 
present day would hardly allow to be proper. But God's 
ways are not our ways, neither are God's thoughts our 
thoughts. He who with a a worm can thrash the mount- 
ains," can make the feeblest instrumentality and agency 
accomplish the mightiest results. Thus, in the early 
days of Methodism, men were called to preach the Gos- 
pel, and thrust out into the field, that even the Methodist 
Church at the present day would object to as not possess- 
ing the necessary qualifications for such a work. Young 
Ellis was thus called; and feeling that woe was him 
if he did not preach the Gospel, he commenced soon 
after his conversion to call sinners to repentance. In 
the year 1784 he was admitted on trial as a traveling 
preacher; and the first appointment which appears on 
the Minutes was the city of Baltimore. He may have 
been traveling under the elder some time previous to the 



94 



SKETCHES OF 



above date, as that was the time of his appointment to 
Baltimore, but of this we have no information. At the 
same conference where Bishop Asbury was ordained to 
the episcopal office, he was ordained a deacon. This was 
in the year 1785, and the presumption is, that he was ad- 
mitted in the year 1783. 

The next year, which was 1786, he was appointed to 
Frederick circuit, and the following year to Fairfax, in 
the state of Virginia, where he was instrumental, under 
God, of accomplishing much good in the enlargement of 
the Redeemer's kingdom. In the year 1788, for want 
of that support for his family which the Church could 
not or would not give, he was obliged either, according 
to apostolic instruction, to "deny the faith and become 
worse than an infidel in not providing for his own," or to 
leave the ministry and serve tables to keep his family 
from starvation. One duty can never crowd out another; 
and his first duty being to feed and clothe his wife and 
children, he could not have been either called of God to 
preach and travel to their neglect, nor would God have 
blessed his ministrations while thus engaged. A great 
many zealous and efficient ministers of the Gospel have 
been compelled to close their mission on this account, 
throwing the responsibility upon the Church, where it 
properly belongs. If they that preach the Gospel shall 
live of the Gospel, according to the ordination of heaven, 
that Church which will muzzle the ox, or, in other words, 
withhold its support from the minister, will be held ac- 
countable in the day of eternity, if not in time, for its 
gross neglect and dereliction. In the providence of God, 
however, such Churches are usually visited in time like 
those of Asia, as Churches like nations are judged in 
time. Does it not meet the observation of every one, 
that those individual Churches who supply most liberally 
the wants of their pastors, and engage most heartily in 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



95 



all benevolent enterprises, are the most blessed with spir- 
itual prosperity? "With what heart, let us ask, can a 
minister of the Gospel dispense the word of life and dis- 
tribute spiritual things to a Church full of riches and 
increased in goods, when his heart is borne down with 
care and anxiety about the next meal for his poor wife 
and children ? It would take a faith greater than Abra- 
ham's to enable him to pour forth bright, glad streams 
from such a troubled fountain. We know it is said, "Let 
him trust in God. He ought not to be anxious about 
what he shall eat or wear. His treasure is in heaven; 
and, beside all this, his great Master had not where to 
lay his head/' All this is well enough, but God will not 
send the ravens to feed him, nor command the stones to 
be made bread, when there is a Church abundantly able 
to supply his wants, and God has commanded that Church 
to give the laborer his hire. 

Thus it was with Michael Ellis, and thus it has been 
with hundreds in the ministry of the Methodist Church. 
Finding that he must look out for himself, he removed, 
with his family, to Ohio, and settled in Belmont county. 
Here he went to work with his own hands, toiling hard 
all week and going out on the Sabbath to preach the 
Gospel to the destitute in his neighborhood. By his own 
industry he was enabled to rear a large and interesting 
family; and one of his sons is now, and has been for the 
last twenty years, a traveling preacher in the Ohio con- 
ference. 

It was not till the year 1809 that we became acquainted 
with this father in Israel. His influence for God and 
religion, like that of the patriarch Abraham in Mamre, 
spread all over the country where he resided, and is felt 
even to this day. His family having grown up, so that 
by his oversight and the industrious, frugal management 
cf hia amiable and pious wife he could see his way again 



96 



SKETCHES OF 



opened to enter the itinerant field, he accordingly, on the 
first of November, 1810, was readmitted into the travel- 
ing connection, and appointed to West Wheeling circuit, 
in the bounds of which he had labored for many years as 
a local preachei with great acceptability and usefulness. 
The next year ho was returned to the same circuit, and 
such was his increasing popularity, even in the vicinity 
of home, that he would have been gladly received another 
year but for disciplinary restrictions. Some preachers 
soon wear out in their fields of labor, and their sermons 
become stale and tiresome to their hearers. Under such 
circumstances the congregations look with anxiety for the 
close of the year, when their appointments will terminate 
and they can have a change. Though some are disposed 
to think — and it may be rightly enough — that our econ- 
omy, in removing preachers every two years, is calculated 
to produce a restlessness in the minds of the people and 
a desire for frequent changes, yet we know, as a general 
thing, that no minister who devotes himself to study, that 
his profiting may appear to all, being thus enabled to 
bring out of the well-stored treasury of his mind that 
rich variety which the themes of the Gospel so abund- 
antly furnish, will be at all likely to wear out, or cause 
his congregation to wish for his removal at the expiration 
of two years. Instead of this, they become increasingly 
interesting, and are enabled the more effectually to adapt 
their discourses to their audiences, so as to give to saint 
and sinner their portion in due season. The desire for a 
change may arise, however, from other causes beside want 
of devotion to study. The preacher may render himself 
unpopular from an uncouthness or unpleasantness, not to 
say boorishness, of manner, or from a want of sociality 
or common sense in his judgment of men and things; 
that, though he possessed the learning of a Clarke, or the 
eloquence of a Whitefield, he could not, without that 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



97 



necessary combination of requisites in a preacher, make 
himself useful to the people of his charge. Every min- 
ister should study the character of his hearers; and thus, 
while in his ministrations he would "study to show him- 
self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to 
be ashamed, giving to all their portion," he would gain 
favor in sight of all the people. Alas! with too many 
preachers all the ambition they seem to have in preparing 
for the pulpit, is to commit to writing or memory a few 
skeletons or sketches that they have taken from Simeon 
or Hanam, which are as likely to be as full of Calvinism 
as any thing else; and thus, as mere parrots, they "mount 
the pulpit with a skip/' repeat their memoriter ha- 
rangues, and then "skip" down again. The hungry 
sheep look up and are not fed. Instead of taking their 
Bibles and going into their study, if they have one, and 
if not, to the woods, and there, by prayer and close, labo- 
rious thought, after finding a subject adapted to their 
hearers, study it out in all its connections and bearings, 
filling their minds and hearts full of the theme, and then 
going, baptized with the Holy Ghost, into their pulpits, 
or school-houses, or log-cabins, and pouring out the gar- 
nered truths with their full hearts, alas! how many have 
not a siiiglc tLought of their own, and are the mere au- 
tomata through which others speak ! But, again, there 
are others who are so wonderfully enraptured with any 
thing of a metaphysical or transcendental cast, that the 
plain, home, heart-searching truths of the Gospel are lost 
sight of, and, consequently, the hearers who wait upon 
such a ministry do not "taste the good word of God." 
It is so festooned with the flowers of rhetoric, or scented 
with the phrases of metaphysics, or incased with the 
technicalities of logic, that the mind neither compre- 
hends, appreciates, nor enjoys the preaching, if it may so 
be called. We once heard Bishop Asbury say to a class 

9 



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SKETCHES OF 



of young candidates for orders, "When you go into the 
pulpit, go from your closets. Leave all your vain specula- 
tions and metaphysical reasonings behind. Take with 
you your hearts full of fresh spring water from heaven, 
and preach Christ crucified and the resurrection, and that 
will conquer the world." 

Although brother Ellis could not be called a learned 
man in the sciences, yet he was a Bible student, deeply 
versed in the science of salvation, and one of the sound- 
est, clearest doctrinal preachers we ever heard. He 
studied divinity in the school of Christ, and was trained 
under the professorship of Wesley and Fletcher. His 
heart was deeply imbued with the grace of God; and 
having attained the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel 
of Christ, the perfect love that swelled his heart rolled 
out to bless mankind. We doubt whether he ever 
preached a sermon in which he did- not introduce the 
doctrine of Christian perfection as taught in the Bible, 
and preached by Wesley and Fletcher. It was the plain, 
old-fashioned, unvarnished doctrine of entire sanctifica- 
tion, without any reference whatever to the philosophy of 
the intellect, the emotions, and volitions; a simple faith 
that brought into the soul the life and love of God. One 
of his favorite texts, in the latter days of his ministry, 
was, "Jesus Christ, who is made unto us wisdom and 
righteousness, sanctification and redemption." His mode 
of treating it was, if we recollect rightly, something after 
this sort. After explaining how Christ is made to the 
believer wisdom, he would divide his subject into three 
parts; namely, justification, sanctification, and eternal 
redemption. These doctrines he compared to a ladder, 
the foot of which rested on earth, and the top of which 
entered heaven : justification, sanctification, and redemp- 
tion were the three successive rounds of this ladder, over 
which the soul passes in its course to heaven. He would 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



99 



clearly describe the doctrine of justification by showing 
the nature and condition thereof, and its attestation by 
the Holy Spirit. Then he would describe the nature and 
condition of sanctification, and finally what the Bible 
teaches in regard to redemption and glorification in 
heaven. He seemed to be the living impersonation of 
his theme, passing through all the progressive stages of 
his subject till its close, when he would give a shouting 
peroration that would make every heart feel that the 
preacher knew and felt whereof he spoke. 

Such preaching would not be likely to tire a congrega- 
tion hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and 
such a preacher would not be likely to wear out. His 
heart was full of the love of God, and when he would 
pour out that heart, it was refreshing and fructifying as 
the "dews of heaven that descended upon the mountains 
of Zion, where the Lord commanded his blessing, even 
life for evermore." 

In the year 1812 he was appointed to Knox circuit, 
and it was a year of great labor and comfort to the old 
veteran of the cross. His predecessor had sown the 
seeds of Arianism broadcast all over the circuit, and they 
had taken deep root and were springing up, choking the 
plants of evangelical piety. Six of the local preachers 
had embraced the error, and some of the most active and 
influential members had been beguiled from the faith as 
it is in Jesus. Such was the confusion and division oc- 
casioned by this heresy, that it seemed as if the whole 
circuit would be broken up unless it were speedily ar- 
rested. Ellis went to work with the sword of the Spirit, 
and, proclaiming the truth in love with its two-edged 
power, it soon separated falsehood from the pure Gospel, 
and soon all were enabled to discern the fallacy of Ari- 
anism and cling to the divine doctrine. In the year ISIS 
we were appointed to Barnesville circuit, and had the 



ILofC. 



100 



SKETCHES OF 



pleasure of having this eminent servant of God for oni 
colleague. This was a year of great prosperity and bless- 
ing to the Church. The circuit, like all circuits of thai 
day, was large, embracing part of Virginia, and lying on 
the waters of Duck creek, north-east of Marietta. On it 
there was no leading road, and nothing by which we 
could reach the settlements but a bridle path. The in- 
habitants, like all backwoods people in those days, lived 
by the chase; yet we have often seen in their rude log- 
cabins as powerful exhibitions of the power of Christian- 
ity as ever we witnessed in the more refined circles of 
society. The fare on a great portion of this circuit was 
too rough for an aged man like father Ellis, and we chose 
to do all the work during the winter, and let him attend 
the appointments where the fare was better and the trav- 
eling more easy. In the spring he greatly desired to go 
into this wilderness portion, and to gratify him we con- 
sented. At breakfast we said, "Eat hearty, father 
Ellis; we fear you are going into the wilderness to be 
tempted by the devil. You must prepare to eat raccoon, 
opossum, or bear meat, and, indeed, in some places you 
may not be able to get that.' 7 Nothing intimidated, the 
old soldier penetrated the wilderness, and, ere he re- 
turned, won many trophies for the cross of Jesus. 

In the year 1814 he was appointed to the West Wheel- 
ing circuit, and the year following to Fairfield, where he 
continued to do the work of an evangelist, preaching a 
full and free salvation to all. On this circuit lived old 
father Walker, the father of Rev. George W. Walker, of 
the Cincinnati conference; and under the labors of Ellis 
and his colleague — Samuel Brown — the family were con- 
verted to God and joined the Church. The old gentle- 
man was a stanch Roman Catholic, and raised his chil- 
dren in that faith ; but there was a power in the pure, 
unadulterated Gospel, as preached by this venerable her- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



101 



aid of the cross, that cut its way through the supersti- 
tions and dead forms of that corrupt Church, and brought 
the soul away from all priestly mediation and absolution 
directly to J esus Christ, the great high-priest, for pardon 
and salvation. In the year 1816 he was appointed to 
Pickaway, and the following year reappointed. In this 
and all the fields of his toil, he was in labors more abund- 
ant, and many souls were gathered into the fold of Christ, 
being made the happy partakers of saving grace. But 
his work, as an itinerant, was done. In the year 1819 he 
received from the conference a superannuated relation, 
and continued therein, preaching whenever he was able, 
till his Master summoned him away from the field of his 
toil and conflict, to that eternal glory and reward he had 
so often described. He had taken up his abode in the 
town of Behoboth, Perry county, Ohio, and there, full of 
faith and the Holy Ghost, he breathed out his soul into 
the hands of that Savior whom living he loved, and whom 
dying he went to embrace forever. 

Brother Ellis was a man of fine personal appearance, 
dignified and courteous in his manners. He was a pleas- 
ant speaker, and there was an unction attended his ser- 
mons which commended them to every man's conscience 
in the sight of God. His example and influence will be 
felt in the Church for many years to come. 



102 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER Y. 

ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN 
CINCINNATI. 

Though Methodism is evidently a pioneer religion, ad- 
mirably adapted in its economy to the early settlements 
of the country, and is generally found far enough in ad- 
vance of all other religious denominations, yet, as it 
regards the early settlement of Cincinnati, the Presbyte- 
rian Church takes precedence. This may be accounted 
for by the fact that the original proprietors of the town 
were Presbyterians. In laying out the town they appro- 
priated the south half of the square bounded by Main 
and Walnut, Fourth and Fifth streets, for the use of said 
societ} T . In the autumn of 1790 the Rev. James Kem- 
per organized a Presbyterian society, and the congrega- 
tions met regularly every Sabbath on this square, under 
the shade of the trees with which it was covered, to lis- 
ten to the word of God. After a few years on this spot 
the society erected a stout frame building, forty feet by 
thirty in dimensions. It was inclosed with clapboards, 
but neither lathed, plastered, nor ceiled. The floor was 
made of boat plank, laid loosely on sleepers. The seats 
were constructed of the same material, supported by 
blocks of wood. They were, of course, without backs; 
and here our forefather pioneers worshiped, with their 
trusty rifles between their knees. On one side of the 
house a breast-work of unplaned cherry boards was con- 
structed, which was styled the pulpit, behind which the 
preacher stood on a piece of boat plank, supported by two 
blocks of wood. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



103 



In 1792 the Presbytery of Transylvania was held in 
this church, and it was the first ecclesiastical body ever 
held in the place. No other Church was organized in 
Cincinnati till seven years after the organization of the 
Presbyterian Church. The next Church was probably 
the Baptist, which was organized in the town of Colum- 
bia, about six miles above Cincinnati, and now forming 
the eastern suburb. We have seen a sketch of the old 
house as it stood a few years ago, and as it stands yet, 
for aught we know, with its clapbuards falling off, win- 
dows broken, and dilapidated walls and chimney. Here 
the Baptist denomination, in early times, gathered to- 
gether, from all parts of the Miami Valley and the 
adjoining state of Kentucky, to listen to the word of life 
and witness the celebration of their beloved ordinance 
in the waters of their western Jordan. For days their 
solemn associations have been held on this spot ; and 
though the old sanctuary has gone to decay, and the 
adjoining grove has given place to streets and squares, 
occupied with dwelling-houses, still it is a green and 
sunny spot in the memory of every Baptist of the olden 
time. 

In the year 1798 the Ptev. John Kobler, a Methodist 
preacher, and one of the early pioneers, visited Fort 
Washington. He quaintly describes his first visit to the 
town of Cincinnati. We are indebted to the Western 
Historical Society for this description, as it is a reply 
to said Society in regard to the question, " When and by 
whom was the first class formed at Fort Washington ?" 
Without giving any information in regard to the point 
from whence he started, he says, "I rode down the 
Miami river thirty-six miles to explore this region of 
country. I found settlements very sparse indeed, only 
now and then a solitary family. About four o'clock in 
the afternoon I came to an old garrison called Fort Wash- 



104 SKETCHES OF 

ington, situated on the bank of the big river, [Ohio/J 
which bore very much the appearance of a declining, 
time-stricken, Grod-forsaken place. Here are a few log 
buildings extra of the fortress, and a few families resid- 
ing together, with a small printing-office just put in oper- 
ation, and a small store, opened by a gentleman named 
Snodgrass. This, I was told, was the great place of ren- 
dezvous of olden time for the Federal troops when going 
to war with the Indians. Here, alas ! General St. Clair 
made his last encampment with his troops before he met 
his lamentable defeat j here I wished very much to 
preach, but could find no opening or reception of any 
kind whatever. I left the old garrison to pursue my 
enterprise, with a full intention to visit it again, and 
make another effort with them on my next round; but 
this I did not do for the following reasons ; namely, 
when I had gone a second round on my appointment, and 
further explored the settlements and circumstances of 
the country, there were some places where the opening 
prospects appeared much more promising than what I 
had seen in Fort Washington ; and I was eager to take 
every advantage of time and things, by collecting what 
fruit was already apparent, by forming societies and 
building up those already formed; so that in a few rounds I 
had nearly lost sight of old Fort "Washington, and finally 
concluded that it would be most proper for me, under 
existing circumstances, at least for the present, to omit 
it altogether ; so that in this statement I am sorry to say 
it is not in my power to lay before the honorable Histor- 
ical Society that information for which they have inquired 
with so much solicitude, When and by whom was the first 
class formed at Fort Washington?" The immediate suc- 
cessors of Kobler, the Eevs. Lewis Hunt and Elisha 
Bowman, did venture to visit the old Fort and preach 
occasionally; with what success, however, history does 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



105 



not inform us, and no living man can tell. But these 
were not the only Methodist sermons that were preached 
at Fort "Washington in that early day by wandering itin- 
erants, who ventured to lift up their voice to the inhabit- 
ants. It was visited by a man who is still living, and 
sits by my side in his parlor, on Longworth-street, who 
preached in the court-house as presiding elder of the dis- 
trict in 1804, and preached in the house of Mr. New- 
come, a Methodist, on Sycamore-street, but a short time 
after the society was formed. 

Thus it will be seen that fifty-six years ago there were 
no Methodists known in Cincinnati, though our Presbyte- 
rian brethren had a congregation and a place of worship. 
Cincinnati was then a country village, containing a few 
hundred inhabitants, and they of that class which usually 
congregate around military encampments. Those who 
were in any way interested on the subject of religion 
would not, in consequence of belonging to the Presbyte- 
rian or Baptist Churches — both of which were strongly 
Calvinistic — be likely to invite a Methodist preacher to 
come into their midst, especially in those early times. 

At that time the name of Methodist was not known in 
the place, though the sequel will show that shortly after 
there were some residing within the limits of the town 
who were not only sympathetically inclined to Methodism, 
but had been members of the Church elsewhere. An 
opportunity was soon after afforded to develop the Meth- 
odist element that slumbered in the heterogeneous mass 
of which the society at Fort Washington was composed. 

Away up on the East Fork of the Little Miami, in the 
wilderness, there lived a young and sprightly farmer. 
His place of residence, or, rather, the neighborhood, had 
proven a genial soil for Methodism; and here it took root 
and flourished like the vines and cedars of Lebanon. 
Here was a stronghold for Methodism ; and from this point 



106 



SKETCHES OF 



as a center went out Methodist influence over the land. 
Here were congregated together, at quarterly and camp 
meeting occasions, the thousands of our Methodist Israel 
scattered abroad. On the occasion of these holy convo- 
cations many a young and zealous member of the Church 
was called to exercise his gifts as an exhorter, while many 
an exhorter has, on the ground of gifts, grace, and use- 
fulness, been raised to the more exalted and responsible 
station of a local preacher. The young farmer of whom 
we have made mention was a local preacher of more than 
ordinary talents. It became necessary for Mr. Collins — 
for that was his name — to visit Cincinnati, for the pur- 
pose of purchasing some salt. Being in the store of Mr. 
Carter, he asked that gentleman if there were any Meth- 
odists in the place. To this the storekeeper responded, 
"Yes, sir; I am a Methodist." The local preacher was 
taken by surprise at the joyful intelligence, and, throwing 
his arms around his neck, he wept. He then asked him 
if there were any more Methodists in the place. The 
response to this was equally full of joyous intelligence : 
" yes, brother, there are several." This caused the 
heart of the sympathetic Collins to leap for joy. " 0," 
said the zealous young preacher, "that I could have 
fhein all together, that I might open to them my heart !" 
61 In this you shall be gratified, my brother, as I will open 
my house, and call together the people, if you will 
preach." 

The upper room of brother Carter's house was fitted 
up by the introduction of temporary benches, while every 
effort possible was made to give the appointment an ex- 
tensive circulation. What was the astonishment of all 
when night came to find that there were only twelve per- 
sons present ! It seemed that Methodism could neither 
awaken opposition nor contempt. At other times and 
places it has been regarded either as a stern and stubborn 



WESTERN METHOJDISM. 



107 



error that must be put down by fair and lusty argument, 
or when in the event reason failed, and it must be plied 
with ridicule, it has been called " the wildest vagary that 
ever sickened the imagination of a fool;" but the first 
sermon that was preached in Cincinnati by a Methodist 
preacher became neither the butt of reason nor of ridicule. 

One of that number was our beloved and lamented sis- 
ter Dennison, the daughter of brother Carter, at whose 
house the first sermon was preached. She recollected 
distinctly the meeting and all the incidents connected 
with it, and related to the writer of this many interesting 
facts a short time previous to her death. Though she was 
then but quite young, she was a professor of religion, and 
was with the little band assembled in that upper room on 
Front-street, between Walnut and Vine. She realized 
the good word of Grod, and the powers of the world to 
come. It was a memorable time for Methodism in Cin- 
cinnati. It was as the planting of a handful of corn on 
the tops of the mountains, the increasing and ever-mul- 
tiplying products of which were to shake with the fruit- 
age of Lebanon. It was the first time the Gospel, unfet- 
tered by decrees, sounded its clear notes in this then 
rising village. A small class was formed, which consti 
tuted the nucleus of the Church, as the few houses 
scattered here and there constituted the nucleus of a 
mighty city — the Queen City of the West. The forma- 
tion of that first Methodist society was the introduction 
of a new element — not as it was in the old country; to 
rouse the stagnant forms of religion, and stir them into 
life, but the introduction of an element into a new and 
active state of society, growing up under the cold and 
stereotyped forms of a religion from which all animal 
feeling was excluded, thus destined to rouse or control, and 
adapting itself, without changing its principles, to all the 
phases of social life. 



108 



SKETCHES OP 



The young preacher being greatly refreshed by the 
interview he had with the Methodists of Cincinnati, re- 
turned home; and some short time after he was regularly 
admitted into the traveling connection, and for many long 
years of hard service in the itinerant field he proved him- 
self one of the most eloquent, talented, and successful 
ministers of the Gospel the west has ever known. Were 
it not that a biography of this distinguished and eloquent 
divine has already been written, and that by a gifted pen, 
we would feel constrained to record some touching, un- 
written incidents of his life. 

The next sermon preached to this infant Church was 
in a house on Main-street, between First and Second 
streets. The preacher was the Rev. John Sale, at that 
time traveling on the Miami circuit. This sermon, how- 
ever, was preached under different circumstances from 
the first, and the congregation was increased to thirty or 
forty persons. After preaching a proposition was made 
to organize a society in the usual way, and according to 
the Discipline of the Church. Accordingly, a chapter 
was read from the Bible ; then followed singing, prayer, 
and the reading of the General Rules of the society. All 
then, who felt desirous of becoming members of the 
society, and were willing to abide by the General Rules as 
they had been read, came forward and gave in their 
names. The number who came forward on that occasion 
was only eight, consisting of the following; namely, Mr. 
and Mrs. Carter, their son and daughter; Mr. and Mrs. 
G-ibson, and Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair. Mr. Gibson was 
appointed the leader. 

A regular Church being organized, arrangements were 
made to have preaching regularly every two weeks by the 
circuit preachers. The society received an accession in 
the ensuing spring by the arrival in town of two Meth- 
odist families; namely, those of Messrs. Richardson, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



109 



and Lyons, and subsequently by the arrival of Messrs. 
Nelson and Hall, and their families. This little band of 
Christians were closely attached to each other, and were 
one in opinion, sentiment, and action. The cords of 
brotherly-love bound them together so strongly, and the 
natural affinities growing out of their relationship to each 
other as Methodists were such, that no spirit of discord 
was ever allowed to break in upon the harmony of their 
society, or for a moment interrupt the even tenor of its 
joyous way. With Christian charity they bore each 
other's burdens, and with Christian zeal and fidelity they 
watched over each other for good. Each one seemed to 
be the insurer of the other's reputation, and felt himself 
as responsible for his upright character as though he was 
his special guardian : hence, every thing that indicated, 
in the slightest degree, a departure from the path of holy 
rectitude, would at once awaken the liveliest apprehen- 
sions and interest on the part of the rest. If any one 
of the members was absent from class meetings, they 
were immediately inquired after, and as much care and 
solicitude manifested as if it had been the unexpected 
absence of some member of a family. 

This mutual interest in the spiritual welfare of each 
member of the Church was what constituted the true 
secret of the early character of Methodism j and the great 
success which marked its progress in every country where 
it has been established, is to be attributed more to the 
recognition of this wholesome, social regulation than to 
any other peculiarity of doctrine or Church government. 

Meetings were held in the little old log school-house 
below the hill, and not far from the old Fort. The loca- 
tion of this school-house was such as to accommodate the 
villagers ; and as its site was somewhere not far from the 
intersection of Lawrence and Congress streets, it is pre- 
sumed that this portion of the town was the most thickly 



110 



SKETCHES OF 



inhabited. Sometimes the rowdies would stone the 
house; and on one occasion Ezekiel Hall, a zealous Meth- 
odist, and one who always was present to lead the singing, 
was takea by the rowdies, after meeting, and carried to 
his home on Main-street, where, after giving him three 
hearty cheers for his zeal and fortitude, they left him. 
The rioters were followed by two very strong young men, 
who were members of the Church, and had determined, 
at all hazards, to protect their feeble brother. Tho 
young men were Benjamin Stewart, now living near Car- 
thage, in this county, and Robert Richardson, now living 
on Broadway in this city. Mr. Hall was the father of 
our late postmaster, and his wife is still living, an esti- 
mable member of the Methodist Church. 

The first love-feast ever held by the Methodists in Cin- 
cinnati, was during a quarterly meeting in 1805. It was 
held in the court-house. There being no permanent 
place for holding meetings, and the society being greatly 
annoyed by many changes, it was at length resolved that 
efforts should be made to build a church, that Methodism 
might not only have a name but a local habitation. Ac- 
cordingly, a lot was procured between Sycamore and 
Broadway, on Fifth-street. This was a large lot, and the 
rear part of it was appropriated, like that in the rear of 
the Presbyterian Church, for a cemetery — a very injudi- 
cious arrangement; but no one at that time would, for a 
moment, have entertained the idea that the crowding, 
pressing, teeming thousands of the city would make 
such encroachments as have been made upon the resting- 
places of the dead. The idea of burial in the city, 
whether judicious or not, is not so much the question as 
the fact, the broad, staring, standing fact, of man's ava- 
rieiousness, and the disposition to appropriate to his 
interest even what belongs to the dead. 

The society having procured the lot, commenced, in 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



Ill 



the year 1805, to erect a stone church. This church wag 
finished and dedicated to the worship of God the follow- 
ing year. From this point the society increased rapidly, 
and it was not long till the native eloquence of the back- 
woods preachers and the zeal of the membership attracted 
large congregations, and the church was too small to hold 
the crowds that collected there to hear the word of life. 
The building, however, was but small, only being about 
twenty feet wide and forty long. To accommodate the 
increasing masses who crowded to the "Old Stone," the 
rear end was taken out and twenty feet of brick added to 
it. Notwithstanding this enlargement, still there was 
not a sufficient room, and it was resolved to make ar- 
rangements for other enlargements. It was concluded to 
take out the sides of the brick part and extend the build- 
ing out each way twenty feet, thus giving the church the 
form of a cross. After some time this last improvement 
was made; and though the congregations still continued 
gradually to increase with the ever-increasing population, 
yet it was many years before any movement was contem- 
plated to meet these wants. At length, however, it was 
resolved to tear down and build on the site of the Old 
Stone a mammoth church, which would not only be the 
parent Methodist church in Cincinnati, but which would 
be sufficiently large for all occasions. 

Colonies had already gone out from the old parent 
church, and had located preaching-places in several parts 
of the city. One of these was located on the corner of 
Plum and Fourth streets. Here the brethren erected a 
plain, substantial brick church, which, in process of time, 
was called the "Old Brick/' to distinguish it from the 
"Old Stone;" and it was also designated by a certain class 
as "Brimstone Corner." This was doubtless in allusion 
to the fact, that here the sinner was visited with the ter- 
rors of the law, and Sinai's thunders were made to play 



112 



SKETCHES OF 



upon his guilty ears. The Methodist preachers of those 
days preached the law as well as the Gospel, and they 
aimed, in every discourse, to give to saint and sinner 
their portion in due season, even if, in doing so, they 
should violate the unity of the subject. Indeed, it mat- 
tered but little what were the subjects selected, they 
usually had enough of repentance, and faith, and earnest 
invitation to Christ in their sermons to save a soul. An- 
other charge was formed in the northern portion of the 
city, which was called Asbury, and also one in Fulton, 
denominated M'Kendree Chapel. 

The time had at length come for the erection of a 
large central church, and the arrangements being made, 
the "Old Stone/' with its brick appendages, was torn 
down, and from its ruins rose a mighty structure, denom- 
inated Wesley Chapel. It was dedicated in 1831 ; at that 
time the largest church in the place, and at the present 
time capable of holding a larger congregation than any 
building in the city. On accouDt of its capacity as well 
as its location in the very heart of the city, it is selected 
on all great occasions. The address of the Hon. John 
Quincy Adams, on the occasion of laying the corner-stone 
of the Astronomical Observatory, was delivered here. 
Here the various large benevolent societies hold their an- 
niversaries. It was here to listening thousands the elo- 
quent Bascom delivered his lectures on the evidences of 
Christianity; and it was in this old cradle of Methodism 
the logical and earnest Rice delivered his course on the 
subject of Romanism. Here the Wesleyan Female Col- 
lege holds its Commencements, and annually crowds every 
seat, and aisle, and avenue, and gallery with eager listen- 
ing thousands. But the time would fail to tell of all the 
associations that have met and mingled in old Wesley. 
Many have been the joyous shouts that have echoed from 
its venerable walls, and many have been the seasons of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



113 



refreshing here enjoyed by God's people during the years 
of its existence. Here the General conference has held 
its sessions, the Parent Missionary Society and the Sun- 
day School Union their anniversaries; and here the tribes 
of our Israel may repair from the east and the west, the 
north and the south, in all time to come. 

The "Old Brick," of which we have already spoken, 
was built in 1822 ; but after several years, during which 
it became a place of hallowed memories, on account of 
the numerous conversions which had been witnessed at 
its altars, it was necessary to enlarge the borders of our 
western Zion in this place, and hence preparations were 
made to erect a new church. In the mean time, how- 
ever, a colony had gone out from Fourth-street and had 
built a fine church edifice on Ninth-street. Instead 
of tearing down and rebuilding, it was determined to 
purchase a lot on Western Row, between Fourth and 
Fifth streets. Here the congregation built a very neat 
and commodious church, which was denominated " Mor- 
ris Chapel," in honor of our beloved western Bishop. 
No congregation in the city has enjoyed more uninter- 
rupted prosperity than this enterprising charge. Its 
leading members are men of energy and activity; and 
whatever good work their hands find to do, they do it 
with all their might. The Sabbath school and mission- 
ary causes have claimed their undivided and earnest at- 
tention; and, perhaps, no charge in our whole connection 
more vigorously or systematically engages in carrying out 
all the benevolent enterprises of the Church. The Sab- 
bath school connected with this charge sent out, several 
years ago, a missionary to Germany, from whom regular 
communications were received, from year to year, which 
were read to the school, and had a great tendency to fos- 
ter and increase the missionary spirit among the teachers 
and scholars of the school. For the present it is engaged 
10 



114 



SKETCHES OF 



in supporting a missionary among the Waldenses, under 
the direction of the Rev. Dr. Cooke, of the French con- 
ference. 

But Methodist enterprise did not stop here. Asbury 
Chapel, in the northern part of the city, was consumed 
by fire, but the zealous brotherhood erected near its 
ruins a new and handsome edifice. Colonies from Morris 
Chapel and Ninth-Street went out, having among their 
number some of the most zealous and efficient of their 
membership, and founded Christie Chapel, and Salem, 
York-Street, and Park-Street Chapels, all having now 
energetic and active memberships; and last, not least, in 
that direction, from these, in their turn, was formed Clin- 
ton-Street Chapel, a young but vigorous branch of Meth- 
odism. In the mean time Bethel Chapel was founded by 
a colony from old Wesley and M'Kendree, and the trus- 
tees are now engaged in erecting a new and beautiful 
church on Ellen-street. Nor do we stop here; colonies 
from the different charges have founded societies and 
erected churches on Walnut Hills, the Mears neighbor- 
hood, and Mount Auburn. 

We must not omit to mention, in our short sketch of 
the Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Union Chapel, the 
only pewed Methodist church in the city. It was origin- 
ally composed of a few members of different charges, 
who, preferring family sittings to the old mode of sepa- 
rate sittings, associated together and purchased Grace 
Church, on Seventh-street, formerly belonging to the 
Episcopalians. They asked for recognition by the author- 
ities of the Church, and for a pastor to supply them with 
preaching; and this being denied them they employed a 
local preacher, organized a Sabbath school, and set up a 
provisional government. They continued to make appli- 
cation for recognition, from time to time, to the bishops 
and the annual conference, but were denied, on the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



115 



ground that it was contrary to Discipline, though it was 
arged that the same rights and privileges were enjoyed 
by numerous Methodist Churches elsewhere. Their case 
was finally submitted to the General conference, and that 
body struck out of the Discipline all portions pertaining 
to the advisory regulation, "let the men and women sit 
apart, without exception, in all our churches." So soon 
as this action was had Union Chapel was recognized, and 
a preacher sent to organize the congregation into a regu- 
lar society. This Church has gone on gradually increas- 
ing in numbers and prosperity. The trustees have en- 
larged and remodeled their house of worship, and it now 
presents one of the most chaste and beautiful Gothic 
fronts in the city. Its interior is also elaborately and 
beautifully finished. The society deserves all praise for 
the enterprise manifested, not only in securing a church 
which is an honor to Methodism in the city, but for the 
zeal which it has shown in the Sabbath school and mis- 
sionary cause; having, according to the showing of the 
Society of Religious Inquiry, the largest Sabbath school 
in the city, and having pledged itself to sustain a mission- 
ary to Rome, whenever the way shall be opened by the 
grant of a toleration from the Pope equivalent to that so 
liberally enjoyed by his subjects in this country. 

While we speak thus of Union Chapel, we would not 
pass in silence other charges. They have all done well and 
deserve praise. We have already spoken of "Morris," 
and we might say the same of Ninth-Street, Bethel, As- 
bury, Christie, and Park-Street, and the sister charges, and. 
indeed, we doubt whether any denomination in the city, 
in proportion to ability, has done more than the Method- 
ist Church in supporting the various benevolent institu- 
tions of the day. If we despise any body, it is the 
croaker who is ceaselessly howling about the Church hav- 
ing lost her primitive simplicity, and power, and influence 



116 



SKETCHES OF 



in the world. We believe this day, under G-od, she is 
doing more for the conversion of the world than she ever 
did; and while there is quite as much zeal as was mani- 
fested in olden time, there is a thousand-fold more liber- 
ality. We have every thing to say favorably of Method- 
ism in Cincinnati; and though she has not made that 
advancement she should have made, and might have 
made, yet she has far outstripped, in this respect, all 
other Protestant denominations, and those, too, who oc- 
cupied all the ground before her. 

We are not yet done with Methodism in Cincinnati. 
There are other Churches bearing the name which, though 
not exactly under the same ecclesiastical government, are, 
nevertheless, branches from the old stock, vigorous and 
healthy, and partaking of the nature and fatness of the 
root from whence they sprang. The Protestant Method- 
ist Church, on Sixth-street, is a large, intelligent, and en- 
terprising society, supporting one or two mission Churches 
in the city. The Methodist Episcopal Church South has 
also a large and nourishing congregation. This society 
is composed of some who were originally the stanchest 
friends of the old Church — intelligent, benevolent, and 
enterprising, and ready for every good word and work; 
and though we exceedingly regret the occasion which 
prompted \hem to a separate organization, still we look 
upon them as members of the family, having one grand 
patronymic, and we shall ever hold them as brethren be- 
loved. God forbid that the time should ever come when 
we shall be so cramped by a headless and heartless big- 
otry, destitute alike of thought and feeling, that we can 
soe no good beyond our narrow domicile, and have no 
emotions of brotherly kindness for those of another fold. 

There is another interesting item connected with the 
history of Methodism in Cincinnati which, although we 
have not yet alluded to it, constitutes, if we judge cor» 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



117 



rectly, the crowning glory of Methodism in the city, if 
not in the entire west. The establishment of a mission 
to the German population in our midst, among the thou- 
sands of infidel Rationalists and semi-infidel Roman Cath- 
olics from Germany, was the beginning of an enterprise 
which has been attended with the most grand and glori- 
ous results. 

As commenced Methodism in Cincinnati, in an upper 
room, with but twelve hearers, fifty years ago, so com- 
menced the German mission eighteen years ago, in 
the upper room of a shanty in a dark alley. The 
preacher was a professor of Greek and oriental litera- 
ture, from the halls of Tubingen, a fellow-student of the 
infidel Strauss; but who, in the wilds of the west, among 
the Methodists, found salvation in the name of Jesus, and 
leaving his professor's chair, in the halls of Kenyon, 
went out the called of God to preach the Gospel of sal- 
vation to his dying fellow-countrymen. Though, like his 
divine Master, he came to his own, and his own received 
him not, but persecuted him, and cast out his name as 
evil, he still persisted, and with a zeal and perseverance 
characteristic of the German, when once convinced that 
he is right, he labored on, and God blessed the word to 
the awakening and conversion of his countrymen. The 
mission from time to time received reinforcements from 
the number of the converted, and one after another, as 
time progressed, God called the Germans into the field. 
One of the early converts, who was a learned infidel, be- 
came a bright and shining light, and carried the Gospel 
from Cincinnati to his brethren in Missouri, where mul- 
titudes were converted ; and that same minister is now at 
the head of a successful mission in Germany. Others 
went every-where preaching the word, as the disciples 
went out from Jerusalem; and first in the large cities, 
then in the villages and country places of the west and 



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south, wherever there were Germans, these messengers 
carried the glad tidings of salvation. Nor did the mis- 
sion stop in the west; it went back to the east and the 
large cities and towns, as far as Boston; had missionaries 
sent to them, and societies were organized all over the 
land from Maine to Louisiana. From this mere handful 
of corn what a mighty harvest has already been gathered ! 
In Cincinnati there are four churches, some quite large; 
and in almost every large town where there are Germans, 
churches have been erected. No mission was ever estab- 
lished since the days of Pentecost that has been attended 
with greater success There are now in the United States 
and Germany upward of one hundred ministers, and 
twelve thousand members — a larger number of ministers 
and members than was embraced in the entire west fifty 
years ago. In connection with the operations of the Ger- 
man Church, through the indefatigable labors of Doctor 
Nast, a German Methodist literature has been gotten up, 
consisting of translations of standard works on theology, 
Christian experience, biography, etc. ; and the Doctor is 
now employed in writing a Commentary on the Bible, 
adapted to Methodist theology, for the use of the minis- 
try and membership. For many years the Doctor has 
been editor of the Christliche Apologete, which has a 
large circulation. Doctor Jacoby, of Bremen, also edits 
and publishes a religious sheet in that city. But as we 
propose only a sketch — a mere outline, we must close. 

The next thing of a denominational character to which 
we invite attention, as serving to show the enterprise of 
Methodism in Cincinnati, is the establishment of a 
female college. In the fall of 1840 Doctor Elliott gave 
an account of his travels in the east, in the Advocate, in 
which he called the attention of the Church to the im- 
portance of female education, and continued to urge the 
sabject till the year 1842, when, at his suggestion, a 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



119 



meeting was called for the purpose of devising ways and 
means for establishing a female collegiate institute. The 
following are the official proceedings of the meetings held 
on the subject : 

" At a special meeting of the preachers of Cincinnati, 
held in the editors' office of the Western Christian Advo- 
cate, May 4th, 1842, the following persons were present i 
L. L. Hamline, C. Elliott, J. L. Grover, G. C. Crura, W. 
H. Lawder, A. Miller, W. Nast, T. Harrison, L. Sworm- 
stedt, J. P. Kilbreth, and W. Herr. The meeting was 
organized by calling L. L. Hamline to the chair, and ap- 
pointing W. Herr Secretary. At the request of the Chair 
the object of the meeting was explained by C. Elliott; 
namely, to consult on the expediency of taking measures 
to establish in this city a female institute of the highest 
possible grade. The following resolutions were presented 
and adopted. 

" Resolved, That in the opinion of the meeting it is 
deemed advisable to call a public meeting to consider 
the practicability of establishing in Cincinnati a female 
institute. 

u Resolved, That a committee, consisting of Messrs. El- 
liott, Hamline, Herr, Kilbreth, Wright, Grover, Crum, 
Lawder, Miller, Neff, H. Decamp, Thomas, Williams, and 
Nast, report a plan of the institute to be laid before the 
general meeting. 

"On motion, it was agreed that the committee on the 
plan meet on next Wednesday, at 4 o'clock, P. M., at the 
editors' office. 

" On motion, the meeting adjourned. 

"L. L. Hamline, Chairman. 

"W. Herr, Secretary. 

"May 11, 1842. 
"The committee on the plan met pursuant to adjourn* 
ment: present, S. Williams, C. Elliott, J. L. Grover, T. 

Harrison, and W. Herr. 



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"S. Williams was called to the chair. The report of 
the committee was called for, which being read by C 
Elliott, Chairman, was unanimously adopted. 

" Resolued, That W. Herr and J. L, Grover be a com- 
mittee to fix on the time and place for a public meeting, 
in order to submit the plan of a female institute in Cin- 
cinnati, and give due notice of the same. 

'* There being no further business, on motion the com- 
mittee adjourned. 

"S. Williams, Chairman. 

"W. Herr, Secretary. 

u Pursuant to public notice given, a meeting was held in 
Wesley Chapel, May 20th, 18-12, in order to consult on 
the practicability of establishing in Cincinnati a female 
collegiate institute. L. Swormstedt was called to the 
chair, and W. Herr was appointed Secretary. After 
prayer, C. Elliott, Chairman of the committee, appointed 
in the primary meeting to report on the subject of a 
female institution, presented the following plan, detailing 
the general principles of the institute : 

" At a meeting of the undersigned persons, held May 
11, 1842, the following proceedings were had: 

"Whereas, There is great need for improvement in 
the system of female education, as it respects the extent 
and accuracy of the course ; and whereas, the members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Cincinnati, both 
need and are able to maintain a female literary institute 
of the first order, of the following description, with such 
other marks of excellency as time, experience, and cir- 
cumstances will point out; it is, therefore, important that 
such be established as soon as possible. 

"The contemplated institution should embrace all the 
branches of female education, from the highest to the 
lowest, to such a degree as not to be exceeded, if possi- 
ble, by any similar institution in the whole world. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



121 



u It should comprehend the following departments: 1 
The common English department, embracing all those 
branches comprised in a thorough course of primary in- 
struction. 

"2. The collegiate department, which should comprise 
a good collegiate course of instruction adapted particu- 
larly for females. 

3. "The Normal department, in which pupils will 
be prepared to become efficient teachers for schools of 
every grade, particularly the common schools, and female 
academies. 

" 4. The department of extras, in which those various 
branches, not necessary for all, yet useful for some, should 
be taught. 

"The following branches, in connection with such 
others as are connected with a thorough course of in- 
struction, should be taught : 

"Heading; Writing; Arithmetic; Geography; History; 
Grammar ; Rhetoric ; Logic ; Book-Keeping ; Needle- 
Work in all its branches; Drawing and Painting; Music, 
vocal and instrumental; Mathematics, Natural Philoso- 
phy, Astronomy; the Natural Sciences, embracing Zool- 
ogy, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, Chemistry; Langua- 
ges, as English, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, French 
etc.; Mental Philosophy; Moral Philosophy; Biblical 
Studies, such as the Chronology, History, Geography, 
Antiquities, Evidences, etc., of Christianity. Other 
branches, not mentioned, will be arranged with the fore- 
going, in systematic order, so as to form a most complete 
course when put together. 

"The following are some of the general principles, or 
characters, which should designate the institution : 

"It should be a Methodist institution tc all intents and 
purposes, so that the principles of Christianity, as taught 
by the Methodist Episcopal Church, would be constantly 
11 



122 



SKETCHES OF 



inculcated; and a full course of sound Biblical instruc- 
tion should be learned by all; and all Methodist children 
should, without exception, go through this course thor- 
oughly, in view of their becoming good Sabbath school 
teachers after they leave the institution, and as far as 
their services are needed while they continue in it. Yet 
children whose parents do not approve it, need not com- 
mit our catechisms, nor receive our peculiar views ; but 
they must conform to our mode of worship and general 
regulations. 

"The ornamental branches, as Music, Painting, etc., will 
be pursued in reference to utility and the practical pur- 
poses of life ; and in accordance with just but enlight- 
ened views of the pure religion of Christ. 

"It will be desirable that the institution should furnish 
all the aid in its power toward the education of poor 
female children and girls, both for their individual ben- 
efit, and the good of the public, in preparing them to be 
efficient teachers. 

" A boarding-house would be necessary for the purpose 
of accommodating those pupils who would come from a 
distance; while the children of the citizens would be 
taught both as day scholars and as pursuing any one 
branch of study taught in the institution, yet under 
proper and salutary regulations. 

"The city of Cincinnati possesses peculiar advantages 
for such an institution. By the public conveyances cen- 
tering or touching here, the intercourse from any point is 
easy. The advantages of city institutions would be 
esteemed by many. Important aids could be derived 
from literary gentlemen in filling up some of the profess- 
orships. 

"It might be sufficient public endowment to furnish the 
necessary buildings and literary apparatus, leaving the 
tuition to support the teachers, if possible; except that 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



123 



room be left to make provision for poor female children 
and girls. 

" The undersigned believe that the members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in Cincinnati need such an 
institution, both for the literary and religious improve- 
ment of their children. It is also confidently believed 
that they are abundantly able to undergo the expense 
both of tuition, building, and apparatus. And though 
the present times are unfavorable in reference to the 
erection of buildings, the remedy to this would be to 
rent for the present, and afterward to purchase a lot and 
build at a time more favorable for procuring funds than 
the present. 

"Entertaining the views stated above, we whose names 
are annexed, deem it advisable to call a meeting of the 
members and friends of our Church, for the purpose of 
examining the subject more thoroughly, in such way as 
they may think proper, for the purpose of adopting im- 
mediate measures toward the speedy and complete estab- 
lishment of a high female literary institute. 
Charles Elliott, Wm. H. Lawder, 

L. L. Hamline, Adam Miller, 

Wm. Herr, Wm. Neff, 

J. P. Kilbreth, Harvey Decamp, 

J. F. Wright, N. W. Thomas, 

J. L. Grover, S. Williams, 

G. C. Crum, W. Nast. 

Cincinnati, May 11, 1842. 

"Whereupon it was moved that the report just read be 
adopted. 

"On motion a committee of twenty-three was appointed, 
with instructions to proceed forthwith to establish, as 
soon as practicable, an institution according to the plan. 
The following persons composed the committee : Bishop 
Morris, Chairman ; J. L. G-rover, W. Neff, J. Lawrence, 



124 



SKETCHES OF 



Wesley Chapel charge; W. Herr, J. Gr. Rust, H. Decamp, 
Fourth-street do. j Gr. C. Cruni, W. Woodruff, A. Riddle, 
Ninth-street do.; W. H. Lawder, S. Williams, a. W. 
Townley, Asbury do. j M. Gr. Perkiser, Burton Hazen, Mr. 
Litherberry, Fulton do. ; W. H. Raper, J. F. Wright, L. 
Swormstedt, C. Elliott, L. L. Hamline, W. Nast, and A. 
Miller. 

"It was moved that the proceedings of the several meet- 
ings, properly signed, be forwarded for publication in the 
Western Christian Advocate. 

" On motion, the meeting adjourned with benediction. 

"L. Swormstedt, Chairman. 

"W. Herr, Secretary." 

A house was rented on Ninth-street, from Mr. Wood- 
run , for the beginning of the school; but being found 
too small, the committee the following year procured the 
large and beautiful residence of Mr. John Reeves, on 
Seventh-street, for the rent of which ten brethren became 
individually responsible. In a short time the committee, 
through Dr. Elliott, procured the services of the Rev. P. 
B. Wilber and lady, from Virginia, and the Institute was 
commenced under favorable auspices. In November, of 
the same year, the committee published the course of 
study in the Preparatory and Collegiate Departments, 
embracing a thorough literary and classical course, requir- 
ing six years to complete it. The next month the Advo- 
cate announced the names of the Board of Instruction, 
as follows: Rev. P. B. Wilber, Principal; Mrs. C. Wil- 
ber, Governess; Miss Mary De Forest, Assistant; Miss 
Emeline Tompkins, Assistant in the Primary Department; 
W. Nixon, Professor of Music. A building had been 
erected on the grounds of the Reeves mansion for the 
accommodation of the pupils, and the school was repre- 
sented as in a nourishing condition. 

In the month of February, 1843, it was announced, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



125 



through the columns of the Advocate, that the second 
session of the Institute would commence in the new and 
elegant college building, on Seventh-street, with a large 
increase of students. The following spring session was 
opened with a still greater accession of pupils; and dur- 
ing the preceding winter the Legislature of Ohio granted 
an act of incorporation, conferring all the powers and 
privileges necessary for an institution of the highest 
grade. To the faculty were added two additional assist- 
ants; namely, Miss Stagg and Miss Harmon. Arrange- 
ments were also made for procuring a philosophical and 
chemical apparatus. At the close of the session lengthy 
and highly-commendatory articles, relating to the exam- 
ination of the classes, appeared in the Cincinnati Gazette 
and Cincinnati Chronicle. The next session commenced 
with still an increase of boarding and day scholars, and 
at its close the number amounted to one hundred and 
fifty. The Cincinnati Chronicle contained the reports of 
the several Examining Committees, consisting of E. P. 
Langdon, A. N. Riddle, S. Lewis, W. Green, 0. M. 
Mitchell, S. Williams, J. Stille, R S. Foster, S. A. Latta, 
J. P. Kilbreth, S. Morrison, and Thomas Biggs, all of 
whom expressed their entire satisfaction of the thorough- 
ness of the young ladies in their respective studies. At 
the same time a letter appeared from the pen of Profes- 
sor Merrick, commending the Institute to the patronage 
of the public. The Commencement exercises of 1845 
constituted a brilliant era in the history of the institu- 
tion. They were held in the Ninth-Street Methodist 
Episcopal Church, which was crowded in every part. B. 
Storer, Esq., delivered an eloquent address before the 
Young Ladies' Lyceum, after which the graduates read 
their compositions, and received their degrees as Mis- 
tresses of English and Classical Literature. The plan of 
the original proprietors was now no longer an experiment, 



126 



SKETCHES OF 



and the Female College from this point started out on its 
high and glorious career. 

The boarding-house and college edifice, notwithstand- 
ing enlargements had been made, being inadequate to 
accommodate the numerous pupils that flocked to the 
institution from various parts of the country, it was re- 
solved by the Board to purchase the large mansion owned 
by Henry Starr, Esq., on Vine-street. This property 
extended from Vine to College-street, and the grounds 
around it being large and tastefully ornamented, it was 
considered the most desirable location in the city. The 
purchase was in due time made, and a large college edifice 
erected on College-street sufficient to accommodate five 
hundred pupils. From year to year the college has sent 
out scores of graduates to all parts of the country; and 
the numbers enrolled on the catalogue have gradually 
increased, till now there are nearly five hundred. Large 
as are the preparations which were made to accommodate 
the pupils, yet during the past year the Board found it 
necessary to put up an additional building, and to pur- 
chase additional grounds. Under the superintendence 
of Mr. Wilber and his lady, the institution, from the 
beginning, has gone on prospering, and its patronage is 
greater than all other institutions of a similar character 
in the city combined. From a small school, with two or 
three teachers, the Wesleyan College has now nearly five 
hundred pupils, and nineteen teachers in the various 
departments of study. 

It may not be improper to notice in this connection the 
Wesleyan Cemetery, located on an eligible and beaut ii'ul 
tract of ground, about four miles from the city, up the 
Millcreek Valley. The old cemetery in the city, belong- 
ing to the Church, having been filled, or nearly so, with 
the remains of the dead, it was not only deemed advisa 
ble, but necessary, to seek a burial-place elsewhere. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



121 



Accordingly, the selection above alluded to was made; and 
in the year 1842 the ground was laid out and dedicated 
to the purposes for which it was designed — a peaceful 
resting-place for the dead. Many tasteful improvements 
have been made on this rural spot since it was laid out 
into burial-lots. In the center, on an elevation, which 
commands a fine view, is the Cemetery vault, surrounded 
by a circular, graveled carriage-way, with roads leading 
in every direction through the grounds. The numerous 
monuments, family-vaults, and inclosures of this Cemetery 
present a fine appearance ; and when we gaze upon these 
quiet and beautiful resting-places the grave is robbed of 
half its terrors. To have a lot in this city of the dead, 
removed from the din and strife of business, and the 
avaricious hand of man, which would even invade the 
sacred precincts of the grave itself to gratify its lust for 
gain, is a pleasant reflection. Here affection and friend- 
ship in quietude may drop their tears and plant their 
flowers over the graves of their beloved. 

To show the reader the improvements which have been 
made on the grounds, as well as those which are contem- 
plated, we subjoin an extract from the report of the Di- 
rectors of the Cemetery, recently presented. It is as 
follows : 

" The carriage-ways have been, wherever practicable, 
widened from being only twelve to twenty feet, and well 
graded and graveled. The grounds have been cleared of 
weeds and bushes, and smoothed, so as to show a neat, 
pleasant, grassy surface. At the rear, in the western 
part of the grounds, a romantic grove of natural growth, 
of stately beeches, overshadows some secluded dells. 
Through these dells wind well-graded and, where neces- 
sary, paved roads, inviting to pensive walks. A new 
preachers' lot, thirty-two feet square, has been beautifully 
located, and is to be well inclosed and adorned. Trees 



128 



SKETCHES OF 



and shrubbery have been set along the ways, and it 
is intended to have and keep all the footwalks of the 
Cemetery well graded and sodded, and skirted with 
shrubs and flowers. A provision has been made to have 
a nursery at the ground, for a variety of trees and shrub- 
bery and flowering plants, to readily supply persons using 
the Cemetery for interment. This is done by leasing an 
acre, to the right of the main entrance, for such purpose, 
and under contract to furnish such supply. A new, two- 
story brick sexton's house has been erected, and is now 
occupied, at the left of the main entrance. This house 
is built in a rural style, which has so pleased the eye that 
at least one model of it has been already taken for imita- 
tion. It is also in negotiation to have a new brick Meth- 
odist Episcopal chapel erected, at the right of the nursery 
before mentioned, on low ground rather unfit for inter- 
ments, one hundred feet in front, by one hundred and 
fifty feet deep from the center of the turnpike, or high- 
way, to be exchanged for the present high grounds of 
the chapel, of very good quality for interments, and from 
which there is an extensive and beautiful landscape view, 
at the north-west corner of the Cemetery tract. A com- 
mittee is appointed to examine the project of such ex- 
change, and, if feasible, effect it. It is also intended 
further to grade and smooth the Cemetery tract, and to 
set and cultivate entirely around it a hedge of Osage 
orange; and, in fine, completely to improve and embellish 
the grounds, as much as the best taste and the funds of 
the Directors will admit." 



| 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



129 



CHAPTER VI. 

FRANCIS POYTHRESS . 

We have no means of ascertaining the time, or the 
place of the birth of the above-named pioneer preacher. 
From the Minutes we learn that he was received on trial, 
in the traveling connection, at the conference held in 
Baltimore in May, 1776. The conference was at that 
time in ecclesiastical connection with the British confer- 
ence, and the preachers were all bound to yield implicit 
obedience to Mr. Wesley's authority, taking the doctrines 
and Discipline, as contained in the Minutes, for the sole 
rule of their conduct. The preachers were forbidden to 
administer any of the ordinances, and the people were 
required, with their pastors, to attend the Episcopal 
Church and receive the ordinances there, particularly 
those who resided in Maryland and Virginia. No 
preacher was allowed to reprint any of Mr. Wesley's 
books without his consent. 

Some of the conversations which occurred at the con- 
ferences, and are recorded in the Minutes, are worthy of 
observation. Among others were the following: No 
preacher, who sustained the relation of a helper or assist- 
ant, was allowed to make any alterations in the circuit, or 
take in any new preaching-places, without consulting his 
superior. Every exhorter was prohibited from going to 
any place to exercise his gifts, except where directed. 
The preachers were required to meet the children once a 
fortnight, and examine the parents with regard to their 
conduct toward them. No local preacher was allowed to 



130 



SKETCHES OF 



preach without having a written permit every quarter. 
All preachers were required to rise at four o'clock — at 
the latest five o'clock. They were required to continue 
in close connection with the Church ; that is, the Church 
of England, and request the clergy to administer the 
ordinances to their people. Traveling preachers who 
held slaves were required to give promise of freedom 
All members who distilled grain into liquor were dis- 
owned. In regard to singing, all the preachers who had 
any knowledge of the notes were required to improve it 
by learning to sing true themselves, and keeping close to 
Mr. Wesley's tunes and hymns. 

After his admission, young Poythress was appointed to 
Carolina circuit. In 1778 he was appointed to Hanover 
circuit, and the succeeding years, up to 1784, to Sussex, 
New Hope, Fairfax, Talbot, and Alleghany. In 1785, 
which was the year following the conference at which a 
separate ecclesiastical organization was agreed upon, and 
the societies assumed the name of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, he was stationed in the city of Baltimore. 
In the year 1786 he was appointed presiding elder of a 
district composed of the following circuits; namely, 
Brunswick, Sussex, Amelia, "Williamsburg, Orange, Bed- 
ford, and Hanover. The succeeding year he was presid- 
ing elder of a district composed of Guilford, Fairfax, 
New Hope, and Caswell circuits. In 1788 he was asso- 
ciated with James Haw as elder of a district embracing 
Lexington, Danville, and Cumberland. The following 
year he was alone on the above district, and continued 
from year to year, the district being enlarged from time 
to time by the addition of new circuits, till the year 
1797, when, from excessive labors, occasioned by the 
most fatiguing travel and hardships, such as would break 
down any man of the present day, he was placed in a 
supernumerary relation, and John Kobler succeeded him 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



131 



on the district. In 1797 he again entered the effective 
ranks, and was appointed elder of a district composed of 
New River, Russell, Holston, and Green. We give the 
names of the circuits composing the districts at that early 
day, because the districts had no name by which they 
could be otherwise designated. The practice of naming 
the districts was not adopted till the year 1801. 

The next year he was sent back to his old district. In 
the year 1800 he was sent to a district in North Carolina, 
embracing fifteen circuits. His removal to a new field, 
among strangers, and the subjection, if possible, to greater 
hardships than he had endured on his former fields, alone 
and friendless, without a companion, save the companion- 
ship which he found at different and distant points among 
his brethren, preyed heavily upon his system, shattering 
his nerves, and making fearful inroads upon a mind natu- 
rally of a too contemplative, if not somber cast; and 
seasons of gloom and darkness gathered around him. 
He should at once have desisted, and sought that rest and 
society for which he so much longed, among the friends 
and companions of his youth; but, alas! the necessity 
that rested in those days upon a Methodist preacher, 
stern as fate, kept him at his post, and he toiled on till 
his shattered frame, like the broken strings of a harp, 
could only sigh to the winds that swept through it; and 
his mind, in deep sympathy with his brain, became alike 
shattered and deranged. The next year he came back to 
Kentucky, but the light of the temple was gone, and the 
eye which shot the fires of genius and intelligence, now 
wildly stared upon the face of old, loving, long-tried 
friends as though they were strangers. Here he re- 
mained till death released him and sent his spirit home- 
Poor Poythress! Bravely didst thou toil and endure 
hardness on the well-fought field. A campaign of twen- 
ty-four years of incessant toil in the gloomy wilds of the 



132 



SKETCHES OF 



west, away from friends and loved ones at home, proved 
too much for thy nature to bear. But thou art gone 
"where the wicked cease to trouble, and the weary are at 
rest/' 

The Rev. Thomas Scott, a personal friend of the de- 
ceased, and himself one of the early pioneers of western 
Methodism, has furnished, among other interesting bio- 
graphical and historical sketches, an account of some 
personal reminiscences connected with the melancholy 
fate of this zealous and indefatigable itinerant, which we 
subjoin : 

"Our acquaintance with him commenced in April, 
1794, and continued without much interruption for about 
six years, during which period we learned from him the 
following particulars : On the death of his father he in- 
herited a handsome personal and real estate; and being, 
in early life, thus left, without any one to control his ac- 
tions, he yielded to the impulses of his passions, which 
were violent, and rushed into all the follies and vices of 
youth. The circumstance which brought him to review 
his past life, was the reproof of a lady of elevated stand- 
ing in society. Her reproof carried conviction to his 
heart. He left her house in confusion, and on his way 
home resolved to mend his ways. He commenced read- 
ing the Scriptures and praying in secret — soon saw and 
felt the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and groaned to be 
released from its galling chain. That led him to inquire 
after those persons whom he supposed capable of instruct- 
ing him in the right way; but for a long time he sought 
in vain. At length he heard of the Rev. Deveraur Janet, 
an Episcopalian clergyman of learning and deep piety, 
then residing in a remote part of Virginia, wnom he vis- 
ited, and with whom he remained a considerable time, 
hearing and receiving instruction. Having at length ob- 
tained redemption in the blood of Jesus, he soon became 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



133 



sensible of his call to the ministry. He conferred not 
with flesh and blood, but immediately commenced his 
itinerant career, preaching the Gospel of the grace of 
God to all who would hear. This was prior to the time 
in which our Methodist preachers reached that part of 
Virginia in which he lived. On one of his preaching 
excursions through the southern parts of Virginia and 
North Carolina, he fell in with one of our traveling 
preachers — whose name we have forgotten — with whom 
he formed an acquaintance, who furnished him with the 
doctrines and Discipline of our Church, as drawn up by 
Mr. Wesley. These he read and attentively considered, 
and being convinced they were based on the Scriptures 
of divine revelation, he applied for admission, and was 
received into union and fellowship in the Church. 

"The Minutes of the several annual conferences show 
all the circuits he traveled, except one, and districts over 
which he presided. They are as follows: 1776, Carolina. 
We are unable to name the circuit he traveled the follow- 
ing year; but from the facts that in 1778 he was received 
into full connection, and appointed to the charge of 
Hanover circuit, we infer that he traveled some circuit in 
1777. In 1779, Sussex; 1780, New Hope; 1781, Fairfax; 
1782, Talbot; and 1783, Alleghany. In that year, we 
believe, he extended his ministerial labors across the 
Alleghany Mountains on to the waters of the Little 
Youghiogheny. In 1784, Colvert; and 1785, Baltimore. 
In 1786 he was ordained an elder in the Church, and pre- 
sided over the district composed of Brunswick, Sussex, 
and Amelia circuits. From the fact that in 1786 he was 
ordained an elder, we infer that in 1785 he was ordained 
a deacon; and if so, he was among the first of our Amer- 
ican preachers who were ordained to that office. In 1787 
he presided over the district composed of the circuits of 
Guilford, Halifax, New Hope, and Caswell, and in 1788 



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He was transferred to Kentucky; and, in conjunction with 
the Rev. James Haw, appointed to preside over the dis- 
trict composed of the Lexington, Danville, and Cumber- 
land circuits. Haw, we believe, presided over the latter, 
and Poythress over the two former of these circuits. In 
1799 Haw's functions as presiding elder ceased, and 
Poythress presided over the entire district. In 1790 
Madison and Limestone circuits were formed, and added 
to his district. In 1791 the circuits south of the Ken- 
tucky river were reformed, the name of Madison being 
dropped, and that of Salt River substituted; and brother 
Poythress continued to preside over the district. In 

1792 the following circuits were added to his district: 
Greenbrier, Cowpasture, Bottetourt, and Bedford. In 

1793 the four circuits last named were taken from his 
district, but Hinkston circuit, then formed, was added to 
it. There was no other change made in the bounds of 
his district during the years 1794, 1795, and 1796, ex- 
cept that in this last-named year Shelby circuit was 
formed, and, together with Logan and Guilford, added 
to it. In 1797 Shelby circuit was dropped, and the 
Kev. John Kobler was appointed presiding elder, and the 
Rev. Francis Poythress supernumerary, over the district. 
In the fall of that year brother Kobler crossed over on 
the north-west side of the Ohio river, and formed the 
Miami circuit, and brother Poythress resumed his station 
on the district, over which he continued to preside till 
the end of that year. In 1798 the Rev. Francis Poy- 
thress and Jonathan Bird were appointed presiding elders 
of the district composed of New River, Russell, Holston, 
and Green circuits, and Rev. Valentine Cook was ap- 
pointed presiding elder over the Kentucky district. 
Shortly after brother Cook's arrival in Kentucky — and 
we feel quite sure it was before he had completed one 
round on his district — he received instructions from 



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135 



Bishop Asbury to take charge of Bethel Academy, then 
on the decline for want of a suitable teacher, and brother 
Poythress was instructed to take charge of the district. 
Cook, therefore, took charge of the Academy, Poythress 
of the district, and Bird remained on the station to which 
he had been appointed. In 1799 New River, Holston, 
and Russell, Green and Miami circuits were added to the 
Kentucky district, and brother Poythress was appointed 
presiding elder over it. Late in the fall of that year his 
bodily and mental powers gave way and fell into ruins. 
In 1800 he was, however, appointed presiding elder of 
the district composed of Morganton and Swanino, Yad- 
kin, Salisbury, Haw River, Guilford, Franklin, Caswell, 
Tar River, Newbern, Goshen, Wilmington, Contentney, 
Pamlico, " Roanoke, Matamuskeet, and Banks, but his 
affliction rendered it impracticable for him to take the 
station assigned him. 

"Upon inspecting the bound Minutes, page 245, it will 
be seen that the Rev. William M'Kendree was, in that 
year, appointed presiding elder of the district composed 
of Greenbrier, Bottetourt, Bedford, Orange, Amherst, 
Williamsburg and Hanover, and Gloucester circuits, and 
that no presiding elder is named for the Kentucky dis- 
trict. So soon as Bishop Asbury received information of 
the malady under which brother Poythress was suffering, 
he gave instructions to brother M'Kendree to proceed to 
Kentucky and take charge of the district; and about the 
latter end of the summer of that year brother M'Kendree 
came on to the district. In 1802 and 1803 the name 
of brother Poythress stands recorded in the Minutes 
among the elders, but without any station being as- 
signed him; after which we anxiously sought for his 
name, but it was not there. We have heard that he died 
many years since, but when and how he died we are un- 
informed. 



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"Bishop Asbury visited Kentucky for the first time in 
1790, after which he never visited that state — if we 
rightly remember — till subsequent to the year 1800; and 
during these periods brother Poythress presided over each 
annual conference which sat in Kentucky, and the sta- 
tioning of the preachers and government of the societies 
within his district were almost exclusively confided to 
him by the Bishop. 

"Bishop Asbury was an excellent judge of men. He 
was intimately acquainted with brother Poythress; and 
the stations to which he appointed him furnishes conclu- 
sive evidence of the estimate he set upon him as a man 
and Christian minister. 

"Brother Poythress was grave in his deportment, and 
chaste in his conversation, constant in his private devo- 
tions, and faithful in the discharge of his ministerial 
duties. We have no recollection of his having ever dis- 
appointed a congregation, unless prevented by sickness or 
disease. As often as practicable he visited from house to 
house, instructed and prayed in the family. Among the 
preachers he, like most other men, may have had his par- 
ticular favorites, but all were treated by him with due 
benevolence and Christian respect. He was unwearied 
in his efforts to unite the traveling and local ministry as 
a band of brothers, so that their united efforts might be 
exerted in furthering the cause of God. As the weight 
of all the Churches in his district rested upon him, he 
sensibly felt the responsibility of his station, and put 
forth his utmost efforts to discharge, with fidelity, these 
important trusts which had been confided to him. The 
education of the rising generation he deemed to be 
intimately connected with the interests of the Church, 
and the result of that conviction was the erection of 
Bethel Academy. The erection of that institution, we 
are quite certain, met the approbation of Mr. Asbury ; 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



137 



and a majority of the traveling and local preachers of 
that day. 

"The conversational powers of brother Poythress were 
not of a high order; yet when he did engage in general 
conversation, he maintained his part with propriety, evin- 
cive of an extensive knowledge of men and things. His 
rank as a preacher was not much above mediocrity. He 
was, however, sound in the faith, in doctrine, in purity. 
There are many words in common use which he could not 
pronounce correctly; this we attributed to the loss of his 
teeth. 

"He was — if we rightly remember — about five feet- 
eight or nine inches in hight, and heavily built. His 
muscles were large, and when in the prime of life, we 
presume, he was a man of more than ordinary muscular 
strength. He dressed plain and neat. When we first 
saw him, we suppose, he had passed his sixtieth year. 
His muscles were quite flaccid, eyes sunken in his head, 
hair gray — turned back, hanging down on his shoul- 
ders — complexion dark, and countenance grave, inclining 
to melancholy. His step was, however, firm, and general 
appearance such as to command the respectful consider- 
ation of others. He possessed high, honorable feelings, 
and a deep sense of moral obligation. In general, he 
was an excellent disciplinarian. He endeavored to probe 
to the bottom each wound in the Church, in order that a 
radical cure might be effected ; but would never consent to 
expel from the bosom of the Church those who evidenced 
contrition and amendment. And when free from the 
morbid action of his system, to which it becomes our 
painful duty to refer, we esteemed him to be a man of 
sound discriminating judgment. We, however, claim 
not for him exemption from error, the common frailty of 
man, and therefore concede to our excellent friend Da- 
views, of Kentucky, that he may have inflicted a wound 

12 



138 



SKETCHES OF 



on the character of the Rev. Benjamin Ogden. But we 
can not concede it as a fact that brother Poythress was 
influenced, in his conduct, by an impure or wicked mo- 
tive. We were too long and intimately acquainted with 
him to harbor, for one moment, an idea so uncharitable 
and derogatory to his Christian character. 

"We never had the pleasure of personal acquaintance 
with brother Ogden, but having heard him preach his 
last sermon east of the Mountains, in 1786, when on his 
journey, as a missionary to Kentucky, we read, with great 
satisfaction, Mr. Daviess's vindication of his character- 
We, however, thought there were, in that vindication, 
some expressions a little too harsh, and calculated to lead 
others to an erroneous conclusion respecting the character 
of brother Poythress. 

" Symptoms of insanity were, at times, discoverable in 
brother Poythress several years prior to the time he 
ceased to travel and to preach, and such may have been 
his situation at the time the unpleasant circumstance 
occurred to which brother Daviess refers. We, therefore, 
put it to him to say whether the vail of Christian charity 
ought to be drawn over actions induced by a morbid ex- 
citement of the system, materially affecting, at the time, 
his intellectual faculties. 

" During the latter part of the summer, fall, and win- 
ter of 1794 and 1795, brother Poythress, at times, exhib- 
ited the appearance of a man whose mind was drawn off 
from surrounding objects; and in that situation he would 
remain for one or more hours, when his system appeared 
to react, and he would engage in conversation as usual. 
At other times he complained of giddiness and pain in 
his head, and his stomach and bowels appeared to be 
affected with flatulency and acrid eructations. A general 
listlessness, irksomeness, and disgust seemed to overwhelm 
him. His countenance appeared sad and sullen, and he 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



139 



evinced an utter aversion and inability to engage in busi- 
ness of importance. At such times, he usually betook 
himself to bed, but did not appear to sleep soundly. 
These symptoms became more frequent during the fore- 
part of the year 1795, and would sometimes last for 
hours. Near the close of the summer of 1795 the Rev. 
Aquilla Sugg, who traveled the Lexington circuit, in 
consequence of bad health was rendered incapable of 
performing effective service ; and, at the request of 
brother Poythress, we took charge of the circuit till the 
ensuing spring. Our first quarterly meeting was held in 
a small log meeting-house, not far from Versailles, Wood- 
ford county. On Saturday brother Poythress arrived just 
before the time for commencing the public exercises — 
complained of being exceedingly unwell, and went to 
bed. In a few minutes he called, and said, ' Brother 
Scott, you must conduct the quarterly meeting, I can take 
no part in the "public exercises/ On returning from 
meeting we found him still in bed, but finally prevailed 
on him to get up. We then walked out together, but 
had not proceeded far out of the hearing of others, when 
he suddenly stopped, and said, ' Brother Scott, I am a 
ruined man; a conspiracy has been formed against me by 
my sister Prior, Mr. Willis Green, and brother Simon 
Adams. My sister Prior charges me with having kept 
back part of the price of some negroes I sold for her 
several years since; Mr. Willis Green accuses me with 
having embezzled part of the money I collected for 
Bethel Academy; and brother Adams accuses me with 
having taken advantage of him in the purchase of a 
horse; the officers of justice are now in pursuit of me. 
I shall soon be incarcerated in prison, my character 
ruined, and the Church disgraced/ I assured him I 
knew each of those individuals to be his fast, adhering 
friend, and incapable of harboring a suspicion injurious 



140 



SKETCHES OF 



to his character, and that he might rest assured that 
the) had not formed a conspiracy against him. But all 
I said had no effect, and he pertinaciously insisted that 
what he had said was true, and said, 'they were then 
engaged in drawing others into their conspiracy.' Dur- 
ing that conversation his countenance exhibited a ghastly 
appearance, and his whole frame trembled. On return- 
ing to the house he again retired to bed, where he re- 
mained — if we rightly remember — with his head generally 
covered, till the next Monday morning, when he was 
again prevailed on to get out of bed. After he had taken 
some refreshments, we again walked out together, and I 
urged him to return home to his sister's, assured him no 
conspiracy had been formed against him, and that if all 
Jie imagined were true, it was far better for him promptly 
to meet the danger than to attempt to flee from it like a 
coward. That advice seemed to strike the right chord, 
it immediately vibrated, and after a few minutes he 
answered, 'It is ; perhaps, best promptly to meet the 
danger, but I can not do so, unless you attend and con- 
duct the quarterly meeting for me at Browder's meeting- 
house, near Bardstown, on next Saturday and Sunday. 
That meeting must not be neglected.' We promised to 
comply with his request, and he returned to his sister's. 
That was the first clear and unequivocal evidence of par- 
tial insanity which we recollect of having noticed in 
brother Poythress — insanity as it respected three most 
intimate friends; for the conspiracy, and the causes lead- 
ing to it, which he supposed to exist, had no existence 
except in his own heated imagination, and, for the time 
being, it was found to be impracticable to remove those 
delusive ideas from his mind. 

"We were confident no conspiracy had been formed 
against him, as he imagined, and still we entertained 
fears that, in the particular cases named, he had yielded 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



141 



to the temptations of the archenemy of souls ; and that 
a conviction of his crimes, and fear of detection had 
produced the effects we witnessed. Having, however, 
since that time, acquired some little knowledge of the 
symptoms which often exhibit themselves in partial 
insanity, the fears we then entertained have entirely 
vanished. We mention this, in order to show how ex- 
tremely careful we ought to be, not to suffer suspicions 
injurious to the character of another to make a lodg- 
ment in our minds. 

" Agreeably to promise, we attended the quarterly 
meeting, and in meeting brother Poythress he exclaimed, 
'Why, upon earth, did you suffer me to leave you? It 
was all delusion. My sister met me as usual/ Early in 
the year 1797 he was confined by affliction j but whether 
his mind was affected during his affliction we are entirely 
uninformed. The last time we saw him was in the fore- 
part of the winter of 1800. The balance of his mind 
was lost, and his body lay a complete wreck. His labors 
in the Church militant were at an end, but the fruits of 
his labors still remain. 

"We are not aware that any hereditary taint existed, 
which, in its ultimate range, dethroned his reason; but 
we can readily imagine that the seeds of that dreadful 
malady were sown in his system by the constant expo- 
sures and sufferings during the war of the Revolution, 
and the twelve years he traveled and preached in the 
then almost wilderness of the west. Among the eight 
pioneers of Methodism in Kentucky and Tennessee in 
the year 1788, the name of Francis Poythress stands pre- 
eminent. By those intrepid heroes of the cross the foun- 
dation of Methodism was laid in those states, on which 
others have since built, and others are now building. 
Their names ought to be held in grateful remembrance 
by all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and 



142 



SKETCHES OF 



truth; but among all, we are inclined to the opinion, 
there is not one of them to whom the members of our 
Church, in those states, owe a greater debt of gratitude 
than to Francis Poythress." 

In some notes appended by Samuel Williams, Esq., 
making a few alterations in the above narrative in regard 
to some dates and places, we have an item or two relat- 
ing to the close of his life, which it may be proper to 
give. At times, we learn from these notes, he would con- 
verse rationally upon many subjects, while on other sub- 
jects he was hopelessly deranged. He was taken to his 
sister's, who lived twelve miles south of Lexington, Ky., 
where he remained till he died. He has gone, we trust, 
to that world where, in bright, unclouded intellect, he 
now gazes upon the scenes of eternal life. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BARNABAS MCHENRY. 

The Kev. Barnabas M'Henry was among the first apos- 
tles of Methodism in the western country. He entered 
the itinerant connection in the year 1787. He was then 
but a youth, scarcely having reached his majority. Con- 
sidering the dangers and hardships to which wandering 
itinerants were exposed at that early day in the west, the 
leaving all the endearments of a happy home, must be 
considered as an act of moral heroism of which but few 
would be capable at the present day. But as God raises 
up the men for the times in which they live, we must not 
be too exact in running our parallels or contrasting the 
past with the present. If we have not the men for 
scenes of toil, and hardship, and danger, it may be a 
comfortable reflection, at least, to know that they are not 
wanted, and the circumstances of the times do not de- 
mand them. We believe there is as much genuine zeal 
and devotion in the Church now as there ever was, even 
in the days of the apostles and primitive Christians, 
though not as generally diffused among the membership. 
If Methodist preachers in those days had, in the language 
of President Harrison, to live just as though they had 
taken the vows of poverty upon them, and had to face 
the dangers and difficulties that beset their path alone 
and unattended, we should rejoice that though the offense 
of the cross has not ceased, yet the times have been so 
wonderfully changed by the mild, humanizing, and ever 
progressive spirit of Christianity, that none are called to 



SKETCHES OF 



pass through the same trials and persecutions for Christ's 
sake. In those early days Methodism was a thing of 
contempt, and a Methodist preacher was considered as a 
special object of ridicule. Every conceivable method 
was resorted to for the purpose of caricaturing the preach- 
ers and their doctrines. Songs were written and sung, 
while specimens of Methodist sermons, perverted and dis- 
torted, were published broadcast, to bring odium upon 
the society. Grave preachers and pious deacons and 
elders were found, who would engage unscrupulously in 
this work. We knew ourselves a reverend divine who, at 
parties, would amuse his flock by getting up a mimic 
class meeting, interspersing it with occasional ditties and 
a shout. We do not say this because we wish to revive 
unpleasant memories, or to show up the conduct of those 
who claimed all the religion, and learning, and decency 
of the land; but simply as a specimen of the general 
contempt which prevailed in certain quarters for these 
"rude, uneducated circuit riders/' Sometimes the very 
almanacs would be filled with songs and caricatures of 
Methodist preachers; and they were in as great demand 
as Davy Crockett almanacs were a few years ago. We 
were taught to believe that Methodism was of the devil, 
and no better than witchcraft. Here is a specimen of 
the sermons preached by Methodist preachers, and be- 
lieved by many to be genuine. We found it in the 
almanac : 

" Breathren, breathren, breathren ! The word breath- 
ren comes from the tabernacle, because we dwell therein. 
If you are drowsy I will arouse you. I will beat a tattoo 
on the parchment cases of your consciences, and will 
whip the devil about like a whirligig among you." 

It cost something in those days to be a Methodist, and 
especially to be a Methodist preacher. Young M'Henry, 
however, counted the cost, and joined the despised peo» 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



145 



pie. In process of time he was licensed to preach, and, 
being admitted into the traveling connection, was ap- 
pointed to Yadkin circuit, North Carolina. In the year 
1788 he was appointed to the Cumberland circuit, on the 
very borders of the white population. Here we find him, 
in company with a few others, occupying the entire field, 
and following the tides of immigration to their most dis- 
tant homes for the purpose of preaching to them the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Traveling, in those days, was 
attended with great danger as well as difficulty. The In- 
dians, on seeing their hunting grounds invaded by the 
pale faces, were wrought up to the greatest fury, and 
would, in revenge, mercilessly attack their invaders. 
The missionary band was obliged to take their lives in 
their hands and risk all in the great enterprise in which 
they were engaged. They had no missionary society, 
with its funds and sympathies, to support and cheer them 
in their toilsome work; but the best of all was, God was 
with them, and hundreds of those wanderers from civili- 
zation were happily converted to God, while the cabin 
and block-house were made to resound with the praises 
of the Almighty, and the wilderness and solitary places 
often resounded with the shouts of the converted. 

Speaking of this band the eloquent Bascom once said, 
in reference to a narrative of their deeds: "To give 
the story an intense and thrilling interest, it need only 
be told true to nature and to the actual developments of 
experience. There is something so fresh, so racy, so 
charming in calling up the historical reminiscences of 
by-gone days, that in whatever form or garb I meet the 
facts, it is only to wonder and admire. How little is 
known of the courage and heroism of the early apostles 
of Methodism in the western world ! What a mere tithe 
of information has even the Church respecting her worthi- 
est sons ! The modern methods of missionary toil throw 
13 



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SKETCHES OF 



very little light upon this subject. More is said now an<? 
less done. We report to the full amount of our achieve 
merits, and facts are often anticipated by a detail of 
hopes. Not so with these early pioneers; they labored 
suffered, and triumphed in obscurity and want. No ad- 
miring populace cheered them on. No feverish commu- 
nity gazetted them into fame. Principle alone sustained 
them, and their glory was that of action. Many of thesi? 
men had minds of no common mold, and richly stored 
with varied knowledge. Even a century in a single com- 
munity produces few such men as Barnabas M' Henry and 
Valentine Cook. They were men by themselves, and 
their memory would adorn the history of any Church in 
any age. The same is true of others; and I am anxious 
that the recollections, as far as practicable, concerning 
them, may be saved from oblivion. How much worthless 
stuff is now recorded, while incidents of so much interest 
are looked upon as unworthy of record or inquiry ! Do 
not too many prefer the shallow and the meager, if it be 
modern, to the deep and lofty traits of character belong- 
ing to an era anterior to ours ? Is there much hope that 
really great men will multiply among us, unless we duly 
appreciate and study the character and elements of great- 
ness in those by whom we have been preceded? If I 
have been of any service to the Church, or to the world, 
much of the result is owing to the study of character in 
early life. Providentially thrown into the pulpit and 
upon the field of ministerial action at the age of sixteen — ■ 
the mere dawn of manhood — I taught myself to learn the 
formation of character, in view both of goodness and 
greatness, by observing closely the striking characteristics 
both of the living and the dead claiming these attributes." 

The father of the writer of this sketch once preached 
a thanksgiving sermon, in which he said, "We backwoods 
people ought to thank God most heartily for two things; 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



147 



namely, the Indians and the Methodist preachers; for in 
the settlement of this great country the Indians kept the 
white population from scattering into clans and taking 
possession of certain districts of country, claiming it, and 
forming a government of their own, and finally going to 
war with each other, thus confining them to the govern- 
ment of the country. While the waves of population 
rolled out westward the Indians rolled them back again, 
and kept them together. Then the itinerant Methodist 
preachers, in the true spirit of their Master, followed up 
the emigrant from block-house to block-house, and from 
station to cabin and camp, and the voice of mercy and 
salvation was heard, and the Sabbath regarded. " To this 
work M' Henry addressed himself with a zeal and devo- 
tion worthy of so great a cause. 

In the year 1789 he was appointed to the Danville 
circuit, in company with Peter Massie as a colleague. 
While on this circuit he encountered much opposition 
from the Baptists, who verily thought they were doing 
God's service in making the most extraordinary efforts to 
hedge up the way of Methodist preachers. The preach- 
ers of that denomination published, from their pulpits 
and elsewhere, the most exaggerated and ridiculous 
statements imaginable about Methodist doctrines and 
usages, and every means was resorted to to prevent the 
people from going out to hear the preachers; but the very 
course they took only excited their curiosity to hear, and 
thus brought them into notice. Thus the foolishness, if 
not the wrath of man, was made the means by which 
hundreds were brought to hear the Gospel of a free sal- 
vation, and multitudes embraced its provisions and were 
saved. Persecution always has failed, and ever will fail, 
to put down the truth. The history of Paganism and 
Romanism is abundant proof of this. The apostle says, 
"We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth f* 



148 



SKETCHES OF 



and we have often known systems of error themselves 
dragged into notice, and made an object of sympathy, 
solely on account of a mad, misguided opposition. The 
best way in the world to put down error is to preach up 
the truth. The fire that a crazy zealot would call down 
from heaven to consume the adversaries of his peculiar 
faith or practice, will be as likely to consume himself as 
his opposers. 

So it was, all the opposition these " free-grace preach* 
ers," as they were termed, met with, only served for the 
furtherance of the Gospel; and like the persecutions 
against Paul, which carried the Gospel to Rome, and 
introduced it to the palace of Cesar himself, so were the 
persecutions of the early Methodist preachers made the 
instrument, in the Divine hand, of bringing the doctrines 
of repentance, and faith, and salvation, to many who 
would not, in all probability, have heard them as dis- 
pensed by itinerants. 

In the year 1790 M' Henry was sent to the Madison 
circuit. This field of labor was at that time said to be 
the most stubborn and unpromising, occupying, as it did, 
the most uncivilized portion of Kentucky. It seemed to 
be a place of grand rendezvous for fugitives from justice 
from the older states. The whole district of country was 
missionary ground, as this was the first time it was found 
upon the Minutes. In this field the laborious itinerant 
did the work of an evangelist. Though men may bs 
guilty of crimes which may send them abroad from the 
haunts of justice and civilized society, yet it would be 
difficult for them to flee to any place where the Meth- 
odist preacher would not find them, and in their dark 
retreats offer to them the blessings of pardon and sal- 
vation. They might escape from the law and the rigors 
of justice, but the Gospel, with its offers of pardon, 
would find them out, and their sin-burdened souls would 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



149 



oe invited to partake of its full and glorious provisions. 
Those upon whom others were disposed to look as repro* 
bates, shut out from the pale of God's mercy, and doomed 
by an irreversible decree to death and hell, were regarded 
by these heralds of the cross as redeemed by the Son of 
God ; and though their crimes were of the deepest dye, 
even unto "scarlet and crimson," yet the blood of Jesus 
could wash them white as mountain snow. It was, doubt- 
less, on account of this indiscriminate offer of salvation 
that their preaching was so obnoxious to the reigning 
orthodoxy of that day. Many a dark, unrighteous heart 
was changed through the instrumentality of such preach- 
ing, from nature and sin to grace and holiness, and law- 
less men were made obedient subjects of government 
and respectable members of society, who otherwise might 
have continued the enemies of God and man. As the 
result of his labors this year, there were left on the cir- 
cuit at its close two hundred and twelve white members 
and eight colored. 

The following year the subject of our sketch was ap- 
pointed to the Cumberland circuit. Here he labored 
with great success and usefulness. The population was 
quite sparse, and the rides long and fatiguing. Not- 
withstanding all this, however, he girded himself for the 
work, and labored on in faith and hope. The Methodist 
preacher then had but one work, and he devoted himself 
exclusively to that. Being fully impressed with his call 
to preach the Gospel, he could not turn aside to engage 
in land and stock speculations, or enter into the noisy, 
wrangling field of politics, nor even sit down to the more 
honorable and useful employment of teaching school or 
taking a professorship or presidency in a college, or 
an editorship or agency, however important; the Holy 
Ghost had moved him to call sinners to repentance, and 
the great work of saving souls was all in all to him. Nor 



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SKETCHES OF 



had lie any time for writing books, and precious little for 
reading any but bis Bible and Discipline. Being shut 
up to these to a great extent, as John Bunyan, in Bedford 
jail, was confined to an old Bible and a Concordance, like 
that man of God, he could map out the path of life, and 
picture the glories of heaven and the glooms of hell with 
a vividness and a power that made all hearts feel their 
reality. The preachers of those days did not suffer 
themselves to be carried away into the endless mazes of 
metaphysical speculation, or to be lost in the fogs of an 
occult philosophy; but bathing their vision in the eter- 
nal sunshine of God's truth, they came down, like Moses 
from the burning mountain, full of love and radiant with 
glory. 

In the year 1792 M'Henry was appointed presiding 
elder of the Holston district, including Green Biver, 
New Biver, and Bussell circuits, embracing an extent 
of country that would now cover a half dozen confer- 
ences. Here he was exposed to the savages and all the 
difficulties of traveling, without roads, bridges, or fer- 
ries to cross the streams; yet he would, with the most 
indomitable zeal, urge his way through the tangled 
thicket and dense forest, and across the rapid rivers and 
over the craggy mountains, preaching Christ and him 
crucified to the dwellers in the log-cabins of the most 
desolate regions. Burning with a love to save souls for 
whom his Master died, he was borne onward in his glo- 
rious career, and many precious seals to his ministry will 
hail him on the shores of immortality as the instrument 
of their conversion to God. The succeeding year he was 
appointed to the charge of a yet larger district, including 
Bedford, Bottetourt, Greenbrier, and Cowpasture circuits. 
It is almost incredible, at this day, for one to be told the 
labors and hardships of the early pioneers of Methodism. 
We fear that the zeal of the preachers of the present 



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151 



day would be severely tested, if they were required to 
cultivate similar fields ; and yet such is our faith in the 
power of Methodism, under God, that we believe if the 
field were here there are men of God who would say to 
the bishop, "Here am I, send me." They labored, and 
we have entered into their labors. God be praised that 
the Church had such men for such times ! The two suc- 
ceeding years find him on Salt Creek circuit, the latter 
of which he was the third man, giving a strong indica- 
tion that, through his excessive toils and hardships, his 
vigorous constitution had been impaired, and he was, 
from overtaxed exertions, declining in strength. Such 
was the fact; for in the following year he was obliged to 
cease from his labors as an itinerant, and take a local 
relation. During the years in which he continued in 
this relation his zeal for the cause of Christ did not in 
the least abate, as he continued to preach whenever op- 
portunity would present itself, and his health would per- 
mit. In the great revival of 1800 he took an active part, 
and was very efficient in leading on the sacramental hosts 
of God's elect to glorious war. 

In 1819 he re-entered the traveling connection, and 
again took rank with his brethren in the itinerant field. 
He was appointed presiding elder of the Salt River dis- 
trict, Tennessee conference, where he labored with great 
success through the year, and at its close was reappointed. 
His constitution, however, was too much broken down to 
enable him to continue long in his much-loved employ as 
an itinerant. Like an old soldier, he only felt at home 
on the field ; and it was with the greatest reluctance that 
he was obliged, at the close of the year, to lay down his 
charge, and retire from the itinerant ranks; yet he did 
not cease to preach. With trembling frame and falter- 
ing tongue he would, like the beloved John, gather 
around him the disciples of Jesus, and exhort them as 



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dear children to love one another. But the day of his 
departure at length came. That dreadful scourge, the 
cholera, which spread lamentation and mourning through- 
out the length and breadth of our land, visited the region 
where he lived, and was made God's messenger to open 
to him the gates of life. On the 16th of June, 1833, 
after this man of God had preached the Gospel for half 
a century, he was called from labor to reward. The full 
salvation which he preached to others, and so richly 
enjoyed in his own soul, sustained him in the dying hour, 
and fitted by grace he was admitted to heaven. He spent 
a laborious but happy life, and died a blessed death. He 
fought his last battle, and finished his course. 

"Life's labor done, as sinks the clay, 
Light from its load the spirit flies, 
While heaven and earth conspire to say, 
How blest the righteous when he dies!" 

Brother M'Henry possessed a high order of intellect, 
and for the opportunities enjoyed in those days he had 
acquired a good share of learning. As a pioneer Meth- 
odist preacher, he thoroughly understood the doctrines 
of the Church, and took great pleasure in their exposition 
to all with whom he was brought in contact. He also 
loved the spiritual and temporal economy of the Church, 
and labored for their defense. To our young brethren in 
the ministry, who may read this rapid and imperfect 
sketch, suffer us to exhort you to study the character, 
and endeavor to imitate the virtues, and zeal, and self- 
sacrificing devotion of this faithful itinerant. You have 
entered into his labors. For God's sake, suffer not the 
work so well begun, and successfully carried on by the 
pioneers of Methodism, to die in your hands. To carry on 
this glorious work no self-indulgence can be tolerated for 
a moment. Let a zeal for God and a love for souls burn 
in your heart and urge you onward. Courage, and zeal. 



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153 



and perseverance are as much demanded now, and per- 
haps more so, than at any former period in the Church's 
history. Study, therefore, to show yourselves approved 
of God, workmen that need not to be ashamed; then you 
wi r l truly share in their labors on earth and their rewards 
iu heaven. 



154 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THOMAS SCOTT. 

The sketches of Western Methodism would be incom- 
plete, at least so far as pioneer preachers are concerned, 
without a biography of Judge Scott, who is the oldest 
living preacher now in the west, being one or two years 
the senior of the venerable Burke in the itinerant ranks. 
This aged minister is now engaged in writing a history 
of his life and times in the Western Christian Advocate, 
which will serve as a valuable monument of the past, and 
be read with interest by present and future generations. 
We are happy in being able to furnish our readers with 
an interesting sketch, drawn up by Samuel Williams, 
Esq., of Mount Auburn, an old and intimate friend of the 
Judge. In the sketch the young reader will see vividly 
portrayed the trials and struggles which young men had 
to encounter in the early settlement of the west; and 
young men of the present day may draw from these 
scenes of trial and discouragement incident to border 
life, courage and hope from the example furnished, that 
u labor et perseverantia omnia vincet." But to the sketch. 

" Thomas Scott, familiarly called Judge Scott, from hav- 
ing been several years a judge of the Supreme Court of 
Ohio, has been a resident of Chillicothe more than fifty- 
one years, where he still resides, enjoying a green old age, 
having just completed the eightieth year of his earthly 
pilgrimage. He was born at Skypton, near the junction of 
the north and south branches of the Potomac river, Alle- 
ghany county, Maryland, October 31, 1772. His fathers 
parents were Scotch-Irish, and emigrated from Ireland 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



155 



and settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania, shortly after 
the battle of the Boyne, in 1690. They were Protest- 
ants, and had sustained heavy losses by the Catholics 
previous to that battle. 

"Before the age of fourteen years Mr. Scott embraced 
religion, and became a member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, when there were only a little over twenty 
thousand members in its communion, and about one hun- 
dred and seventeen preachers. He has, therefore, been a 
member of the Church more than sixty-six years. At 
the conference at Leesburg, Virginia, in April, 1789, 
when only sixteen and a half years old, he was admitted 
on trial in the traveling connection, and appointed to 
Gloucester circuit, Virginia, together with those distin- 
guished ministers, Lewis Chasteen and Valentine Cook 
The following year he was appointed to Berkely circuit, 
with Lewis Chasteen preacher in charge. Soon after 
they commenced their labors, Mr. Chasteen was seized 
with the small-pox, which injured one of his eyes so 
much that he could labor but little till near the close of 
the year. This devolved nearly the entire labor, as well 
as the administration of discipline, upon the youthful 
Scott, yet only eighteen years old. At the conference in 
May, 1791, he was received into full connection, and or- 
dained deacon by Bishop Asbury, who appointed him in 
charge of Stafford circuit, Virginia, with Samuel Hitt, 
late of Champaign county, Ohio, as his helper. In 1792 
he was appointed to Frederic circuit, Virginia, with 
Thomas Lyell as his helper. 

u Mr. Lyell, although young, and only in the second 
year of his ministry, had already acquired great fame as 
a very eloquent and popular preacher. This, together 
with his amiable disposition, his polished manners, his 
fascinating conversation, and his fine personal figure, con- 
spired to make him a great favorite, both with the preach- 



156 



SKETCHES OF 



ers and people. For many successive years he was 
stationed in the most populous cities, and caressed, and, 
perhaps, flattered wherever he went. In 1804 he located, 
and afterward took orders in the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, and was settled in the city of New York as rec- 
tor of a populous and wealthy parish, which he served 
with great acceptance till his death, at an advanced age, 
a few years since. It is said that he preserved, to the 
last, a friendly attachment to the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and her ministry. But to return from this di- 
gression. 

"At the conference held at the place of Mr. Scott's 
nativity, in June, 1793, he was ordained elder by Bishop 
Asbury, and appointed to the Ohio circuit, in charge, 
with the Bev. Robert Bonham as his helper. This cir- 
cuit was of great extent, and much of which lay along 
the frontier settlements on the Ohio river, in Western 
Virginia and Pennsylvania, and exposed to the attacks of 
the Indians. 

"In the spring of 1794, in pursuance of instructions 
from Bishop Asbury, Mr. Scott descended the Ohio river 
to join the Kentucky conference, which convened on the 
15th of April. Embarking at Wheeling, on a flat-bot- 
tomed boat, ladened with provisions for General Wayne's 
army, he descended the Ohio river to Brook's landing, 
above the mouth of Limestone creek, where Maysville now 
stands. The settlements along the Ohio river, at that pe- 
riod, were few and far between, and the intervening wil- 
derness was occupied by hostile tribes of Indians, to 
whose attacks descending boats were continually exposed. 
Floating with the current, the voyage was necessarily 
tedious, and the boat often passing along very near to the 
shore, those on board were in great danger from the 
unerring rifle of the Indian. But Mr. Scott, unconscious 
of his danger, was accustomed daily to sit, for hours 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



157 



together, on the top of the boat, reading, even while the 
boat was floating along close to the shore covered with 
bushes, from which the savage tomahawk of the practiced 
Indian might have heen hurled to his destruction. He 
has oftentimes since reflected with surprise upon his own 
imprudence, and ascribed his preservation to a merciful 
and overruling Providence. Having sent his horse on to 
Kentucky a few days ahead, Mr. Scott, on landing there 
himself, immediately proceeded to the home of his par- 
ents, on the head waters of Bracken creek, Mason county, 
with whom he spent a few days, and then repaired to the 
seat of the Kentucky conference, near Bethel Academy, 
Jessamine county, where he received an appointment to 
Danville circuit, on which he continued to labor during 
the conference year. At the conference in May, 1795, 
he located for the purpose of attending to important tem- 
poral business in Pennsylvania. But sickness and other 
circumstances prevented his going to Pennsylvania. To 
accustom himself to hard labor, he turned in to cut down 
and strip the bark from large trees for his brother James, 
who was a tanner. When the season for this work was 
over, he went to school about a month to acquire a better 
knowledge of arithmetic. Every Thursday afternoon he 
walked three miles to meet a class, of which he was 
leader, and had his appointments to preach on Sabbath, 
one of which places was in Maysville, and it is probable 
he was the first Methodist minister who ever preached 
the Gospel in that town. In the latter part of the sum- 
mer, at the request of the Bev. F. Poythress, the presid- 
ing elder, Mr. Scott took charge of the Lexington cir- 
cuit, in place of the Bev. Aquilla Sugg, whose health 
had failed, and he continued on that circuit till the meet- 
ing of the Kentucky conference in the spring of 1796, 
from which time his labors as an itinerant minister in 
the Church ceased. 



♦ 



158 



SKETCHES OF 



"On the 10 th of May, 1796, Mr. Scott married Miss 
Catharine Wood, a pious young lady, whose parents had 
long been Methodists, and soon after settled in Washing- 
ton, Mason county, Ky., where he obtained employment 
as a clerk in a dry goods store. In a few months the 
merchant failed in business, and Mr. Scott thereby lost 
nearly half his earnings. After this he devoted a small 
portion of his time to reading the elementary principles 
of law, and copying and memorizing the forms of entries 
in civil and criminal proceedings in the courts. This he 
did in expectation of being appointed clerk of the courts 
in a new county about to be set off from Mason; but 
which office, although his superior fitness for it was ad- 
mitted by all, was, through the treachery of pretended 
friends, given to another. He now determined upon the 
study of law, with the view of practicing at the bar, and, 
therefore, declined several very favorable offers of eastern 
merchants to engage in the mercantile business. But in 
what way he was to support himself and family, while pur- 
suing his legal studies, was now the question. Various 
plans were considered; and as ( necessity is the mother 
of invention/ he finally resolved upon opening a tailor's- 
shop in Washington, so soon as he could gain sufficient 
practical knowledge of the business to follow it. His 
father was a tailor, and when a boy he had often assisted 
him on long winter nights, and wet or stormy days, and 
was expert in the use of the needle, but was ignorant of 
the art of cutting, and of joining the parts of garments 
together. To acquire this knowledge, he worked awhile 
as a journeyman in an extensive shop in Washington. 
But the proprietor, aware of Mr. Scott's intention to com- 
mence business himself, never allowed him to be present 
when he took the measure for garments or cut them. 
Ele was obliged, therefore, to get the requisite knowledge 
from a tailor in the country 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



159 



"He had never yet had any practice in measuring, or 
cutting, or fitting garments, and might well have been 
deterred, by his fears, from attempting to open shop and 
commence. But relying upon his own native genius, and 
his patient, untiring perseverance in whatever he under- 
took, he did open a shop and commence business. He 
spoiled the first coat he attempted to cut. But, nothing 
daunted, he tried again and succeeded. His neighbors 
kindly encouraged him, and work soon came in so fast 
that he had to employ journeymen. The late Mr. John 
Watson, well known in Chillicothe and elsewhere as an 
able hotel-keeper, worked some time for Mr. Scott as a 
journeyman. 

" Anxious to proceed in his legal studies, and yet hav- 
ing no time that he could devote to it, he adopted an ex- 
pedient which none but an indomitable spirit, like his, 
would have thought of resorting to. Mrs. Scott was an 
excellent reader, and as she had a hired woman to do the 
domestic work, she devoted her leisure time to reading to 
Mr. Scott, while at work on his shop-board, Blackstone's 
Commentaries, and other law books; and as she read, he 
treasured up in memory, and reflected on the contents 
read. The reading was often succeeded by singing, as 
they were both good singers; and while both were busily 
engaged in plying the needle, they would beguile the 
time by singing some of the sweet songs of Zion, and 
thus they cheerily passed the day. 

"In the fall of 1798 Mr. Scott removed, with his fam- 
ily, to Lexington, where he commenced a regular course 
of law-reading under the late honorable James Brown, 
deceased. In the winter of 1800, before he had com- 
pleted the extensive course of legal studies which he had 
anxiously desired, he was obliged, from pecuniary neces- 
sity, to desist; and having obtained license to practice 
law, he removed to and settled in Flemingsburg, Fleming 



160 



SKETCHES OF 



county, where he was appointed prosecuting-attorney. 
Here, and in the counties of Mason and Bracken, he ob- 
tained some little practice, but did not succeed well in 
either of those counties. Although well versed in the 
principles of law, he had»never yet read any book which 
treated of practice either in courts of law or equity. 
While at Flemingsburg he commenced a course of math- 
ematical studies. 

"In March, 1801, he visited Chillicothe, by advice of 
the late General Nathaniel Massie and other friends, and 
upon consultation with his old friend, Dr. Edward Tiffin — 
whom he had known and taken into the Church eleven 
years prior to that time, in Virginia — he concluded to 
remove to and settle in that town, which he did the fol- 
lowing month, and has continued to reside there to the 
present time — a period of over fifty-one years. Before 
leaving Kentucky he went to Cincinnati and was exam- 
ined before the General Court of the North-Western Ter- 
ritory — Judge Burnett, Mr. M'Millen, and Attorney-Gen- 
eral St. Clair examiners — and admitted to the degree of 
counselor at law. During the summer of 1801 he wrote 
in the clerk's office for Doctor Tiffin, and engaged in such 
other business as he could to obtain a scanty subsistence, 
as he could not practice as counselor at law till he had 
resided two years in the territory. The succeeding win- 
ter he was employed as engrossing and enrolling clerk 
during the session of the Territorial Legislature. On 
the assembling of the convention for forming a constitu- 
tion for the state, Mr. Scott was elected Secretary to that 
body. Dr. Tiffin being a candidate for governor, under 
the new constitution, he resigned the clerkship of the 
several courts which he then held, and Mr. Scott was ap- 
pointed in his place by the acting governor. At the first 
township election in Chillicothe, under the constitution, 
he was elected a justice of the peace, and was the first 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



161 



one commissioned under the state government. At the 
session of the first General Assembly, under the constitu- 
tion, Mr. Scott was elected Secretary of the senate, to 
which office he was annually appointed till 1809, in Feb- 
ruary of which year he was elected, by the Legislature, 
one of the judges of the Supreme Court, and the year 
following was re-elected and commissioned chief judge 
of that Court. This office he held till July, 1815, when, 
finding the salary insufficient for the support of himself 
and family, he resigned his seat on the bench and re- 
sumed the practice of law. 

"In October, 1815, Judge Scott was elected one of the 
representatives of Ross county, in the Legislature, and 
in 1822, he and the late Judge Francis Dunlevy and 
Thomas Ewing, Esq., were commissioned by Governor 
Morrow, under a law of the state, as a board of revision, 
to revise the general laws of the state, and to report the 
same to the General Assembly at its ensuing session. 
The Board had not quite completed their work when the 
Legislature met; and one of the first things done by that 
body was to dissolve the Board, so that no report was 
made. In March, 1829, he was appointed, by the Presi- 
dent and senate, Register of the Land-Office at Chilli- 
cothe, which office he held, by successive appointments, 
till March, 1845, when he was removed by President 
Polk. 

"The foregoing sketch of our old friend and neighbor 
is condensed from a more extended one recently drawn 
uy by himself, and kindly furnished to us. We have de- 
voted more space to it than we can well spare, and yet 
have beet obliged to omit many incidents and facts which 
would have lent additional interest to the narrative. 
Many of his friends have, with us, regretted that the 
Judge ever exchanged his high and holy calling of an 
embassador of Christ for the bar, or the bench, or polit- 
14 



162 



SKETCHES OF 



ical life, with its turmoil and strife. 'Tis true, he pos- 
sessed superior- qualifications for the bar, and the bench, 
and the various other offices he has held. But his fitness 
for the ministry was of a still higher order. And had he 
remained at his post therein, he would, doubtless, long 
since have ranked with the most talented and distin- 
guished ministers in the Church; nay, might possibly 
now be filling the dignified office of its senior superin- 
tendent. It is but justice, however, to add, that he con- 
sidered himself forced, by 'dire necessity/ to take the 
course he did. 'For,' said he, 'had the Church at that 
period been able to support myself and family, I would 
have spent my whole life in the ministry. But the 
Church was then too poor to do it.' It is much to be 
lamented that many others of the ablest and most useful 
ministers in the Church, in former times, were, from the 
same cause, compelled to retire from the work." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



163 



CHAPTER IX. 

JOHN KOBLER 

If we were to hear of a minister of Jesus who had 
preached the first sermon in what is now the state of 
Ohio, and spread the first table of the Lord that was 
ever spread in this wilderness, would it not awaken a 
thrilling emotion in our hearts and create a romantic 
interest to hear something of his wonderful history? 
What adventure could be connected with more stirring 
incident than the adventures of such a man in braving 
the perils of the wilderness, and preaching the Gospel, 
and administering its ordinances in these wilds more than 
fifty years ago? We have his history, gentle reader, and 
the incidents connected with his heroic Christian life. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Culpepper 
county, Virginia, on the 29th of August, in the year 
1768. He was blessed with pious parents, and particu- 
larly a pious mother — one of the greatest blessings to 
mortals; for to the mother more than to any other, and, 
in fact, all other influences combined, apart from the 
grace of God, is the child indebted for its character. A 
mother's smile, and gentle word, and kind hand do 
more to mold the character and fix the destiny of the 
child than all other agencies combined. "Give me," 
said Madame de Stael, "the first seven years of a child's 
life, and I care not who afterward shall have its training." 
This, as a general principle, will hold good, as the period 
alluded to constitutes, to a great extent, the forming 
stage of human character. During that time it receives 



164 



SKETCHES OF 



its bent and direction for time and eternity. Having a 
mother whose mind and heart were thoroughly imbued 
with the principles and graces of religion, young Kobler 
was early trained in the path of virtue, and fortified 
against the assaults of vice and sin. The example and 
teachings of that godly mother were accompanied by 
ardent prayer and the impressive and awakening influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit. Thus, at a very early period in 
his life, he was led to feel the importance of religion. 
Drawn by the Spirit, and yielding up his young heart to 
its genial influences, he was led away from the noisy 
sports of life to the place of retirement, where he would 
read his Bible and pour out his young affections to the 
great Father in heaven. Under the influence of such 
agencies, human and divine, as were at work on Jiis heart, 
he was soon led into the possession of that regenerating 
grace which filled his heart with the joys of salvation. 

In the nineteenth year of his age we find him a pro- 
fessor of religion, and happy in the love of Grod. This 
profession he maintained by a consistency of conduct 
which would do honor to a mature Christian. He was, 
however, evidently designed for a higher service than 
that of exemplifying the Gospel of Jesus in the private 
walks of life ; and it could be seen by his peculiar fer- 
vency and the train of his thoughts, that the Spirit was 
calling him to the work of the ministry. Moved by that 
Spirit in a way he could not mistake for the motions of 
his own heart, he obeyed the Divine call, and in the 
twenty-first year of his age he gave up home, and friends, 
and earthly comforts and prospects, and entered the 
rough and rugged field of itinerant life. Shortly after 
his entrance upon the work of an itinerant, there being 
a loud call for preachers in the far west, he enlisted as a 
volunteer and went out as a pioneer to the North-West- 
ern territory. Here, in these wilds, he encountered toils, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



165 



privations, and hardships incident to the life of a pioneer 
preaeher. He lived and labored in this region amid 
scenes of danger, and was personally acquainted with 
many an adventure, and could relate sufferings which had 
been endured by the early settlers which would seem 
almost incredible at this day. In Powell's Valley he be- 
came acquainted with a lady who had been captured by 
the Indians, and who related to him her sufferings, an 
account of which he gave to Bishop Asbury when on a 
visit to his circuit. The maiden name of the lady was 
Dickenson. She had married a gentleman by the name 
of Scott, and was living in the valley. On a certain 
evening, her husband and children being in bed, eight or 
nine Indians rushed into the house full of threatening 
and slaughter. Startled by their terrific yells, Mr. Scott 
sprang from the bed and instantly every gun they had 
was fired at him. Although badly wounded he broke 
through them all, and ran out of the house into the 
woods. Several of them immediately started in pursuit, 
and soon overtaking him, being faint from loss of blood, 
they butchered him and took off his scalp. The mother 
gathered her helpless children in her arms, and, convulsed 
with fear, awaited the result. Soon they returned, and, 
wresting her children from her grasp, they cruelly mur- 
dered them before her eyes. They then plundered the 
house and took her prisoner. From the cabin they went 
out into the depths of the forest, and, kindling a fire, 
they spent the night in drinking, shouting, and dancing. 
The next day they divided the plunder among themselves 
as equally as possible. Among the number of articles 
taken was one of Mr. Wesley's hymn-books. For this 
they had no use, and, no one seeming to care for it, the 
distracted woman, by signs, desired that it might be given 
to her. To this they assented, and taking the book, from 
whose appropriate hymns she had often derived courago 



166 



SKETCHES OF 



and comfort, she opened its pages and began to r*;a<. 
When the Indians saw this they were greatly displeased, 
and snatching it from her, they gave her to understand 
that they believed her a conjurer. After this thej 
started in the direction of the Indian towns, and traveled 
several days through the wilderness. The grief and sor- 
row of this afflicted woman were so great that she could 
scarcely realize the horrid scenes through which she had 
passed, and thought she was dreaming. To aggravate 
that grief, if possible, these fiends took the scalps of her 
husband and children and hung them around her neck. 
Thus she walked along through tangled thickets and over 
rugged mountains, almost fainting from fatigue, and worn 
down with anguish. When they saw her panting for 
breath, and almost ready to sink from exhaustion in her 
weary marches, they would laugh at her calamity and 
mock her feebleness. Every spark of humanity, how- 
ever, was not extinct in this savage band. There was 
one Indian who, in the hour of her extremity, procured 
for her some water to quench her burning thirst, and 
when she was ready to sink made the remainder stop for 
her to rest. For eleven daj-s they traveled on, and when 
almost famished with hunger they called a halt, and com- 
mitting her to the care of an old Indian they started off 
to hunt for food. After resting awhile the old Indian 
went to work to dress a deer-skin. Mrs. Scott observing 
that his mind was wholly absorbed in his employment, 
walked about from place to place, and watching her op- 
portunity she fled, and was soon out of sight in the forest 
After running for some time she came to a cane-brake, 
and entering it was securely hidden. The Indians, on 
returning at night and finding their prisoner gone, started 
out in pursuit of her. It seems that they had taken the 
direction in which she had gone; for during the night 
she frequently heard them searching for her, and answer- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



167 



ing one another with an owl-like hoot. In the darkness 
of the night, alone in the wilderness, and hunted by the 
savages like a beast of prey, this poor woman fell upon 
her knees, and poured out her soul in supplication to her 
Father, God. She spent the night in prayer, and the sav- 
ages not bexng able to find her hiding-place, left for other 
parts. In the morning she started in the direction, as 
she supposed, of Kentucky, almost despairing of ever 
being permitted to look upon a white face again. One 
day, while wandering in the wilderness, not knowing 
whither she was going, almost ready to sink from want 
of food and rest, having nothing to subsist upon but 
roots, young grape-vines, and sweet cane, she heard, not 
far from her, a loud yell and a tremendous noise, like the 
furious tramping of many horses. She instantly secreted 
herself in a thicket close by, and in a few moments, from 
her hiding-place, she saw a large company of Indians 
rush by with a drove of horses, which they had stolen 
from the whites. When the sound had died away, and 
all was still, she left her retreat, and journeyed on. 
After traveling a short distance, she came in sight of a 
huge bear, who was devouring a deer, and so pressed was 
she with hunger, that she drew near in hopes of getting 
some. At her approach the bear looked up and growled 
hideously. Fearing an attack she hastened away. At 
length night came on and she laid down, and all through 
its gloomy hours she dreamed of eating; but morning 
came, and she was sick and faint with hunger. As she 
pursued her journey she came to a rocky region, and 
finding a cave, in which there were some leaves, she con- 
cluded, as all hope had nearly deserted her, to go in and 
lie down, and resign herself to her fate. For several 
hours she occupied this den of wild beasts, and wept and 
prayed for deliverance from her pain and sorrow. Her 
whole system was racked with pain, so much so that she 



168 



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could not rest, and she was obliged to rise and pursue her 
journey. She thought of home, and the dear ones whc 
had been rudely snatched from her embrace, and the 
fountains of her grief were opened afresh, while her 
moans and lamentations waked the echoes of the wilder- 
ness, and reached the ears of her Father in heaven. 

Day after day she traveled on, and she finally came to 
the spot where the Cumberland river breaks through the 
mountains. She crawled down the cliffs a considerable 
distance, till the darkening defiles around her filled her 
with dismay. Far down below her rolled the rapid river. 
Around her were craggy rocks, and above her the steep, 
precipitous cliffs, which her insensibility to fear had ena- 
bled her to descend, but which her strength would never 
allow her to scale. She was now on the edge of a fright- 
ful precipice, formed by a rock which rose up perpendicu- 
larly from the bank of the river. To go back she could 
not, and to descend that precipice would crush her by the 
fall. But it was the only alternative ; and falling upon 
her knees she prayed most fervently, and commended 
her soul to (lod. Then rising, she seized a bush which 
grew out of the fissures of the rock, on the very edge, 
and letting herself down as far as it would reach, she let 
go, and fell to the bottom on the jagged rocks. Wonder- 
ful as it was, she was not killed ; but bruised and man- 
gled, she lay in a state of insensibility for several hours. 
When she revived she considered that her end was near, 
and soon her sufferings would end with her life. But 
her time had not yet come, and she was immortal till 
that hour. A sensation of thirst came on her that was 
insupportable. The waters were before her, dashing their 
spray almost at her feet, but in her wounded and helpless 
condition how could she reach them? Feeling that she 
must drink or die, she made an effort, and by slow and 
painful progress she at last crawled to the brink, and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



169 



quenched her burning thirst. This greatly revived her, 
and after a short time she was able to get up and walk 
Following along the bank of the river, she came to a 
path, and, entering it, she pursued it a short distance, 
when it branched off in two directions. One direction 
of this path led back into the wilderness; the other to 
the settlements. Which path to take she knew not. 
She, however, unfortunately determined to take the one 
leading to the wilderness. Before proceeding many 
steps, a little bird, of a dove color, flew close by her face, 
and fluttered along into the other path. She stopped, 
and gazed upon it, when it flew toward her, and then re- 
turned to the path a second time. Taking this to be a 
Providential interference, she took the path of the bird, 
which flew on before her, and was at length among the 
abodes of humanity and civilization. 

Soon after, under the preaching of the Gospel pioneer, 
she embraced religion, led a consistent life, and died in 
the triumphs of the Christian faith. Brother Kobler 
preached her funeral discourse, in which he related the 
wonderful trials and deliverances of this pioneer mother. 

There being a field open in the region north-west of 
the Ohio, and laborers being wanted, Kobler went over 
to travel the wilderness where we now live, and preached 
the Gospel of Jesus to the scattered inhabitants. A 
sketch, furnished by him for the Western Historical 
Society, in August, 1841, we will insert, as it will servo 
to show, in his own language, what was the state and 
condition of the country upward of fifty years ago. It 
begins as follows : 

" In the year 1798, the writer of this article was sent 
by Bishop Asbury, as a missionary to this region of 
country, then called the North-Western territory, now 
Ohio state, to form a new circuit, and to plant the first 
principles of the Gospel. In passing through the coun- 

15 



170 



SKETCHES OF 



try lie found it almost in its native, rude, and unculti- 
vated state. The inhabitants were settled in small 
neighborhoods, and few and far between; and little or 
no improvement about them. No sound of the everlast- 
ing Gospel had as yet broken upon their ears, or glad- 
dened their hearts; no house of worship was erected 
wherein Jehovah's name was recorded; no joining the 
assembly of the saints, or those who keep the holy day; 
but the whole might, with strict propriety, be called 
'a land of darkness, and the shadow of death/ 

'Where the sound of a church-going bell, 

Those vales and rocks never heard 
Ne'er sighed at the sound of a knell, 
Nor smiled when a Sabbath appeared.' 

"The site on which Cincinnati now stands, was nearly a 
dense and uncultivated forest. No improvement was to 
be seen but Fort Washington, which was built on the 
brow of the hill, and extended down to the margin of 
the river; around which was built a number of cabins, 
in which resided the first settlers of the place. This 
fortress was then under the command of General Har- 
rison, and was the great place of rendezvous for the fed- 
eral troops, which were sent by the government to guard 
the frontiers, or to go forth to war with the Indians. In 
this state of things the writer left this country forty 
years ago, and never saw or visited the state of Ohio till 
the third day of July last, at which time he came from 
aboard the steamboat Bristol, and walked through a con- 
siderable part of the city of Cincinnati ; but he has no 
language to express his reflections, and the peculiarity of 
thoughts which rushed upon his mind, while comparing 
the past state of things with the present. After passing 
from street to street, and from square to square for more 
than half a mile, he came to the conclusion that no city 
in the Union could vie with it in beauty and magnitude, 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



171 



considering its short growth. Having, since arriving in 
Cincinnati, traveled over many parts of his old mission- 
ary ground, he finds a most astonishing change and im- 
provement has taken place. Where formerly there were 
indistinct paths, sometimes only trees being blazed to 
direct our course from one house or settlement to another, 
now there are highly-improved roads, and turnpikes, and 
and every facility for public conveyance. And where 
there stood unbroken forests, now there are numerous 
villages and large towns, numbering their thousands. 
The farms and farm-houses are equal in convenience, 
beauty, and taste to any in the Union. But the best and 
most encouraging of all is, to see a large proportion of 
the inhabitants of the country, both in villages and 
cities, truly religious ; men and women who fear God, 
and work righteousness. The writer of this article can 
not help here adverting to the time when he spread the 
first table for the sacrament of the Lord's supper, that 
was spread north-west of the Ohio. When the commu- 
nicants were called to approach the table, the number did 
not exceed twenty-five or thirty; this was the sum total 
of all that were in the country. Now the Minutes of 
the annual conferences of Ohio return one hundred thou- 
sand regular Church members; so mightily hath the 
word of God run and prevailed ! Where we once 
preached in log-cabins, we now see stately churches 
erected, whose spires point toward heaven, and whose 
solemn bells announce the arrival of the Christian Sab- 
bath, and call the attention of the multitude to the house 
of God. This is indeed the Lord's doing, and a circum- 
stance of the deepest regard to its original founder; and 
he would pray that this land may continue to be greatly 
blessed of the Lord, and continue to be a people with 
whom God may delight to dwell. I should judge from 
the locality of the country, the richness of the soil ; 



172 



SKETCHES OF 



salubrity of climate, and the industry of the inhabit 
ants, that in a few years this state will be equal in wealth 
and number, if not superior to any of the eastern states. 
The Church, in her present onward course, is spreading 
a divine influence which deeply affects all states and 
conditions, sects and orders of men. Look in any direc- 
tion and you will see her rising up in all the power and 
majesty of divine grace, the righteousness thereof going 
forth with brightness, and the salvation thereof like unto a 
lamp that burneth. Our Congress and legislative halls 
have in them their Obadiahs — a number who are not 
ashamed to confess 'that they fear the Lord greatly;' and 
while they sit at the helm of government, and guide the 
destinies of our wide-spreading republic, we see them fully 
awake to the interests of the Church, under the convic- 
tion that ' righteousness exalteth a nation, while sin is a 
reproach to any people.' But whence is this divine 
knowledge derived ? Certainly from the Bible ; that 
book which is sending forth a flood of divine light and 
truth into every department of Church and state. While 
we as ministers and members of the Church enjoy those 
invaluable privileges, it is our duty to lay them deeply to 
heart, that we may duly appreciate and wisely improve 
them. Your aged servant, the writer of this article, has 
been standing on the walls of our Zion for fifty-five years; 
and while, with unwearied vigilance, he has been guard- 
ing and laboring for the interests of the Church, he has 
been making strict observations on circumstances and 
things connected with the Church ; and from long obser- 
vation he has been fully convinced, and, of late, more so 
than ever, that it is the doctrine which we preach, the 
discipline which we have exercised, and the system by 
which, as a Church, we are regulated, that have pro- 
duced those happy results, in the conversion and sanctifi- 
eation of so many thousands. Our doctrines are : First- * 



WESTEKN METHODISM. 



173 



free salvation; so that wherever the minister meets his 
congregation, be they many or few, he feels no hesitancy 
in offering salvation to every soul present, and accord- 
ingly tells them, 1 that Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, 
tasted death for every man.' Secondly, we preach a 
present salvation ; which is salvation by faith alone, as 
the condition, and the only condition, of our justification 
before God. Thirdly, the doctrine of holiness, as the 
Christian's highest privilege, and most indispensable 
duty. St. Paul terms it, 'The mark and prize of our 
high calling, which is of God in Christ Jesus/ and ex- 
horts all believers to press to its attainment. To the 
doctrines of the everlasting Gospel we owe all our spir- 
itual achievements ; and, as a people, all that we have 
and are. Our system of doctrine and discipline has 
been well and long tried. It has stood the fiery ordeal 
of one century, and has come forth as gold and as 1 silver 
tried in a furnace of earth, and purified seven times/ 
Here, then, I would say to our ministers and to the 
Church, whereunto we have already attained, let us 
walk by the same rule; let us mind the same things; 
never lose sight of the spirit and practice of Gospel 
holiness in all its hights and depths, as the leading and 
essential qualification for the Christian ministry. The 
herald of mercy and grace may speak with the tongue of 
angelic eloquence rather than men; but if he lacks 
love — the constraining principle, 2 Cor. v, 14 — he will 
be only as e sounding brass, or as a tinkling cymbal.' St. 
Paul saith, ' The love of Christ constraineth us.' 0, who 
can tell the force, the power, and the eloquence of con- 
straining love ! This alone can carry fire to frozen hearts, 
and make the terrified sinner to cry, 6 What must I do to 
be saved?' When one of those master-spirits, from the 
sacred desk, draws the Gospel bow at a venture, his arm 
is nerved with an almighty energy; the arrows of the 



174 



SKETCHES OF 



Almighty will be sharp and powerful in the hearts of the 
King's enemies, whereby the people will fall under Him. 
Dear brethren in the ministry, let us press on to a higher 
state of holiness ; let us be ' men of one Book/ studying 
closely the Bible — men mighty in prayer, having deep 
communion with God; let us go from our knees into the 
pulpit, and there, with enlarged hearts and open mouths, 
and losing all sight of self, and every shadow of self, 
preach as a dying man to dying men, holding up the 
Lord Jesus Christ as the Great Expedient for a lost and 
ruined world. Let holiness be in every composition, and 
make a part of every sermon. Blessed is that minister 
that shall be found so doing. Though his preaching 
abilities may be small and lightly esteemed by a misjudg- 
ing world, yet, clad in Gospel panoply complete, and hav- 
ing on the armor of righteousness, on the right hand and 
on the left, he will 'turn many to righteousness/ and 
shine as the stars forever and ever. Let us not only 
teach our Church publicly, but from house to house, vis- 
iting their families, and encouraging and praying with 
them; by which means they will be strengthened, and 
made to walk in the fear of God, and in the comforts of 
the Holy Ghost. By this means you will be instruments 
in < strengthening the weak, binding up that which was 
broken, and bringing back that which was driven away/ 
Meet the class, if possible, after preaching. In the early 
stage of Methodism the class meeting was our bond of 
union. 0, with what warm hearts did the dear people 
go to the class-room ■ and there, with sobbing hearts and 
flowing eyes, would tell over their trials, and what God 
had done for their souls ; and all this in such a melting 
strain that the hardest heart could not remain unmoved. 
0, let us take heed to ourselves, and to all the flock over 
which the Holy Ghost hath made us overseers, to feed 
the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



175 



own blood. As the dew upon Mount Hermon, and as the 
dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, so may 
the Lord command his blessing upon his people, even 
life for evermore/' 

Though Kobler was possessed of a constitution natu- 
rally of more than ordinary strength, the privation and 
toil, accompanied with the necessary exposure of a Meth- 
odist missionary at that early day in the history of our 
country and the Church, gave to that constitution a shock 
from which it never recovered. Endowed with abilities, 
as a preacher, above mediocrity, and fired with a zeal 
worthy his high vocation, for a period of eighteen years 
he labored with great success in the itinerant field, and 
many souls were converted through his instrumentality. 
Being completely prostrated by disease, in the year 1809 
he was induced to locate, and settled in the neighborhood 
in which he was born. 

Unsought by himself, in the year 1836 the Baltimore 
annual conference placed his name on the list of its 
superannuated ministers. Fond of meeting with the 
redeemed of the Lord, as age grew upon him, and as he 
was unable to visit distant circuit appointments, he sought 
for a residence in a place where he could assemble with 
the people of Grod, and be useful; and hence he removed 
to Fredericksburg, Virginia. In that place his saint-like 
spirit, exhibited in Christian conversation, his dignified 
ministerial bearing, and his untiring labors in preaching, 
exhorting, praying, visiting the sick and imprisoned, did 
more, under God, to give character and permanency to 
Methodism in that place than any other human agency. 
The Church in Fredericksburg was small and poor, and 
the house in which the members worshiped was dilapi- 
dated and situated in an out-of-the-way place. The mem 
bership resolved to better their condition, and thereby 
increase their facilities for doing good by building a new 



176 



SKETCHES OF 



church. To aid them in this undertaking, father Kobler 
was not only one of the most liberal subscribers, hut he 
started out, in the seventy-fourth year of his age, on an 
excursion, appealing to the Churches of the west, the 
early field of his itinerant toil, for assistance. During 
this tour he visited the Ohio conference, and met with 
success in his undertaking. He seemed, like good old 
Simeon, to wait for the completion and dedication of this 
house of the Lord; and when the day at length arrived, 
and the Lord was invoked to take possession of the 
newly-erected temple, while all the lovers of Methodism 
were joyful, the old patriarch was transported. The 
object for which he had ardently prayed and labored was 
accomplished, and he was ready to say, "Now, Lord, let- 
test thou thy servant depart in peace; for mine eyes have 
seen thy salvation." His days, however, were length- 
ened, and he was permitted to witness one of the most 
interesting and powerful revivals in that church. The 
glorious work had hardly abated ere disease laid its de- 
stroying hand upon him. During his affliction he was 
perfectly happy, and the light of heaven beamed on his 
happy countenance. Without a murmur he suffered the 
will of his Master. Often was he heard to say, " Living 
or dying, I am the Lord's." On his friends asking him 
if he had any thing he desired them to pray for, he 
replied, "Pray for the Church, that God would abund- 
antly pour out his Spirit upon it, and take it into close 
keeping with himself." On one occasion he said, "I 
have dug deep, and brought all the evidence to bear, and 
I find I have a strong confidence, which nothing can 
shake; but all is through the infinite merits of my Lord 
and Savior. I wish it to be known to all, that the prin- 
ciples which I have believed, and taught, and practiced 
in life, I cling to in death, and find they sustain me. I 
have tried all my life to make my ministry and life con- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



177 



sistent." About half an hour before he died he was 
asked, "Is Jesus precious?" " 0, yes, very precious!'' 
and then he uttered, as his last words on earth, " Come, 
Lord Jesus; come in power, come quickly!" In a few 
minutes he was no more; the spirit had gone to heaven. 
Having left the tabernacle which it had occupied foi 
three quarters of a century, it went to its building of 
Grod above. 



178 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER X. 

BENJAMIN LAKIN. 

This western pioneer was born in the state of Mary- 
land. When quite young his parents removed to the 
state of Pennsylvania; but not being satisfied with the 
country, they continued their peregrinations westward till 
they arrived at the state of Kentucky. It was in the 
early settlement of that country that they made their 
home among its cane-brakes. Young Lakin, sharing the 
fortunes of his father, amid the scenes of the dark and 
bloody ground, could not be expected to have received 
much literary or religious training. In that day there 
were few who knew any thing about experimental relig- 
ion, what there was consisting more of a mere form than 
any thing else. Indeed, there was precious little even of 
that. Still the country was not wholly destitute for a 
wandering Methodist preacher, whose circuit, like the 
track of a comet, swept over the whole space of the 
country, would touch at the different and distant neigh- 
borhoods, and pour from his heart, richly filled with the 
treasures of experimental religion, the soul-saving truths 
of the Gospel. Under the influence of such preaching, 
young Lakin was brought to feel his need of a Savior; 
and, after seeking with great earnestness for the blessing 
of pardon and salvation, he at length was enabled, through 
faith, to behold and embrace the "Lamb of God, who 
taketh away the sin of the world." It was not long after 
his conversion that he felt called to take up his cross and 
follow his Savior, in bearing the messages of mercy to his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



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dying fellow-men. There was nothing in those days to 
render an itinerant life in the least degree inviting. 
Every step of such a mission was connected with danger 
and toil; and it was not likely that any would enter the 
ministry except from the firmest convictions of a duty 
the most pressing and imperative in its nature. It seems 
to us, though we may be wrong — if so, God forgive us — 
that such has been the change wrought upon the face of 
the country and society in general, making the post of a 
Gospel minister rather desirable than otherwise, that 
many do not feel that awful sense- of responsibility con- 
nected with the calling which it is just as important to 
feel now as then, and that we find young men entering 
upon this work about in the same way, and with no greater 
anxiety or interest than they would enter upon any learned 
or business profession for the purpose of honor and emol- 
ument; and the danger of mistaking the call is increased, 
from the fact that so much stress is laid upon mere lit- 
erary training and scholastic attainments connected with 
the wonderfully-restless desire the present generation has 
for learned ministers. We know of nothing that would 
tend more effectually to bring back the dark ages upon 
the Church than such a disposition to exalt learning at 
the expense of the zeal and wisdom of our fathers in the 
ministry. They perhaps knew little about Latin, Greek, 
and Hebrew, or Biblical literature, in the critical sense 
of that term, but they were thoroughly versed in the 
Bible; and hence, in the language of Luther, "Bonus 
textuarius, bonus theologus" — he is always the best divine 
who is best acquainted with the Scriptures. They were 
men of the Bible; men of faith and men of prayer; and 
coming to their congregations with an unction from the 
holy One, the word of God was like "a fire and a ham- 
mer, which broke the rock in pieces." We would not 
decry knowledge; God forbid! Let the minister of the 



180 



SKETCHES OF 



present day study all the branches of theological litera- 
ture, and all collateral sciences, posting himself up thor- 
oughly in all departments; but above all, let him, when 
he comes to feed the flock of God, come from the deep 
fountains of eternal Truth, and from the foot of the 
cross. Let his visits be frequent to Tabor and Olivet, as 
well as Gethsemane and Calvary, and, filled with the Spirit 
of Jesus, he will be mighty, through God, to the pulling 
down of the strongholds of infidelity and sin. "VVe do 
not believe, now that the days of miracles and inspiration 
are passed, that God will prepare sermons for drones, 01 
that he will convert a dull and stupid intellect into a 
bright one. Such extraordinary manifestations we are 
not to look for; and hence we judge with the Church, 
that with "grace" must be connected u gifts." We 
recollect distinctly when, if a father had three sons and 
was able to give then an education, he selected the bright- 
est for a lawyer, the next for a doctor, and the dullest of 
all for a preacher. We would reverse this arrangement, 
and judge that the last should be first and the first last. 
But to our sketch. 

Young Lakin was called to preach, and, conferring not 
with flesh and blood, he entered the itinerant ranks in 
the year 1794, and traveled under the presiding elder, 
Francis Poythress. In the following spring he was ad- 
mitted on trial and appointed to Green River circuit. In 
1796 he was appointed to Danville circuit, and in 1797 
he was admitted into full connection, ordained a deacon, 
and appointed to Lexington circuit. During this year he 
married an excellent wife and located. Such was the 
prejudice that existed in the Church, at that day, against 
married preachers, that it was almost out of the question 
for any man to continue in the work if he had a wife. 
They were not exactly obliged to take the Popish vow of 
celibacy, but it almost amounted to the same thing; and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



181 



there being such a high example for single life, as exhib- 
ited in the eases of the bishops, if a preacher married 
he was looked upon almost as a heretic who had denied 
the faith. Besides, no provision was made for the wife, 
and she was regarded, on all hands, as an incumbrance. 
Whether this opposition arose from the poverty or parsi- 
moniousness of the Church, or from the belief that a 
man with a wife was not sufficiently disentangled from 
the world, and hence unfit for the work of an itinerant, 
or, perhaps, from all combined, we know not; but such 
was the fact, that but only one or two had courage and 
endurance enough to travel when married. We recollect 
that within the last twenty years, in the Ohio conference, 
young men have been discontinued who married within 
two years, though there was nothing else against them. 

Under such a state of things Lakin located, and labor- 
ing with his own hands during the week, to support his 
family, he preached from place to place on Sabbath with 
zeal and power. Having to support himself there was no 
objection to his preaching; for of all denominations of 
Christians we ever knew, the Methodists, in general, are 
most attached to & free G-ospel; that is, one that costs them 
nothing; and, humiliating as it may seem, we have heard 
some thank God for it. The time came, however, when 
brother Lakin, being able, after some sort, to support his 
family, re-entered the traveling connection, and was ap- 
pointed to Limestone circuit. In the year 1802 he was 
appointed to travel Scioto and Miami circuits combined. 
We request our reader to look at the map and see the ex- 
tent of the field of this one man's labor — a tract of coun- 
try including all southern Ohio. It was during this year 
we became acquainted with this pioneer. We met him 
as he was moving from Kentucky to the field of his labor. 
The point where we met him was on the eastern side of 
the Little Miami, the track of the railroad now occupy- 



182 



SKETCHES OF 



ing the spot. Then there was nothing that deserved the 
name of a road — a kind of a trace. We were surprised to 
see a man and woman in a cart drawn by one horse — sur- 
prised, because this was a superior way of traveling, not 
known to the settlers, who traveled and carried their 
movables on pack-horses. As we came up we halted to 
look at his vehicle. As we stopped he inquired how far 
it was to the next house. This we were unable to tell, 
for the road was uninhabited. We then had the curios- 
ity to ask him who he was, where he was going, and what 
was his business? He quickly and kindly replied, "My 
name is Lakin; I am a Methodist preacher, and am going 
to preach the Gospel to lost sinners in the Miami and 
Scioto country/' Filled with strange imaginings we 
parted, and the preacher drove on. 

What would the young preacher of the present day 
think of taking his wife in a cart and starting out with- 
out money, home, or friends and traveling through the 
wilderness seeking for the lost? Yet such trials and 
hardships your fathers endured. God be praised that 
the times have changed, and that you are not subjected 
to the same toils and sufferings ! After filling up this 
year brother Lakin was sent to Salt River circuit, in 
Kentucky, and in all probability returned with his family 
and all in that little cart. In 1804 he was appointed to 
Danville, and in 1805 to Salt River and Shelby united. 
In 1806 and 1807 he was sent back to Miami, and trav- 
eled successively the following circuits; namely, Deer 
Creek, Hockhocking, Cincinnati, Whiteoak, Union, Lime- 
stone, Lexington, and Hinkston. At the close of his 
year on this circuit, his health failing, he was returned 
supernumerary, and the next year — 1819 — continuing to 
decline, he was placed on the superannuated list, where 
he remained till the day of his death. 

We have thus given a brief and rapid outline of the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



183 



labors of tins faithful and devoted servant of Jesus. He 
was one of the ministers of those days who stood side by 
side and guided the Church through that most remark- 
able revival of religion, which swept like a tornado over 
the western world. In the greatest excitement the clear 
and penetrating voice of Lakin might be heard amid the 
din and roar of the Lord's battle, directing the wounded 
to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the 
world. Day and night he was upon the watchtower, and 
in the class and praying circles his place was never 
empty — leading the blind by the right way, carrying the 
lambs in his bosom, urging on the laggard professor, and 
warning the sinner in tones of thunder to flee the wrath 
to come. While he was in the relation of a worn-out 
preacher he never had a dumb Sabbath, always having 
his appointments ahead, except when quarterly or camp 
meetings .would intervene. He was always on hand at 
these, and would preach and labor with all his remaining 
strength. Great success attended his labors, and he was 
universally accepted and beloved as a minister of Jesus. 
We knew him well, and loved him as a father in the Gos- 
pel with a pure heart fervently. His visits to our family, 
once a year, were looked for with great solicitude, and he 
was made a blessing to all the children. Father Lakin 
did not suffer his calm, benignant features, in his last 
days, to be wrinkled with a sour godliness. There was 
no howling or whining about every thing going wrong in 
the Church and among the preachers. He had a con- 
tempt for croakers, and would look up and thank God for 
a good conservative progress in all the departments of 
Methodism. Quiet, and peaceful, and glorious, as when 
the descending sun throws his last rays on a receding 
world, tinging the trees and mountains with his mellow 
light, did this venerable servant of the cross pass down 
to the grave. He preached his last sermon in M'Kendree 



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SKETCHES OF 



Chapel, Brown county, Ohio, on the 28th day of January, 
1848. On Tuesday he returned home to Point Pleasant. 
The next two days he complained some of indisposition, 
but on Friday he started on horseback — his usual mode 
of traveling — to quarterly meeting, at Felicity, 0. After 
riding six miles he reached the house of sister Richards 
in usual health, and enjoying a very happy frame of 
mind. He conversed freely and cheerfully with the fam- 
ily till about seven o'clock, when looking at his watch he 
stepped out of the room door and fell. The family, sup- 
posing he had fainted, used all the means in their power 
to revive him; but his work was done, and his happy 
spirit had fled to the mansions above. Thus, in the 
eighty-second year of his age, and the fifty-fourth of his 
ministry, this devoted, self-sacrificing preacher of the 
Gospel 

" Ceased at once to work and live." 



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185 



CHAPTER XL 

JOHN SALE. 

If, as one has said, "history is philosophy teaching by 
examples/' we may add, with equal propriety, biography 
furnishes the examples which history records. No de- 
partment of literature can be more interesting than truth- 
ful narratives of human life — certainly none can be more 
instructive; and hence it is that we grasp with eagerness 
and read with avidity sketches of the life and times of 
those who have gained notoriety by worthy or adventur- 
ous deeds. 

The subject of our narrative was a western man. He 
was born in the state of Virginia, on the 24th of April, 
]769. History furnishes us no account of the precise 
place of his birth, or of his parentage. In early life he 
was awakened and converted to God, through the instru- 
mentality of Methodist preachers who visited the neigh- 
borhood where he resided. He soon joined the Church, 
and, for a youth, became a devoted and exemplary 
Christian. 

It is worthy of remark, that so many of the early 
preachers were converted in their youth. It seems to 
have been the order of Providence, since the days of 
Samuel, who was called when a child to the service of 
the sanctuary, to take the young and susceptible mind 
and early train it, by grace, for the great work of the 
ministry. If the reader will look over the biographical 
sketches which we have written, he will find that nearly 
all who were called to preach the Gospel were, in early 
life, made the subjects of converting grace. 

16 



186 



SKETCHES OF 



When young Sale became religions lie was snrronnded 
by worldly and wicked associations, and it cost him an 
effort, such as those only can make who have firmly re- 
solved, by God's grace, to break up all unhallowed asso- 
ciations, and start out, at all hazards, in the path of life, 
who, putting their hand to the plow and counting the 
cost, have crossed the chasm that separated them from 
the world of sin, and cut away the communication. To 
become a Methodist at that time, which of all the forms 
of Christianity was most despised by the wicked, was to 
enter upon a profession which would insure the contempt 
and scorn of the ungodly, and, not unfrequently, of many 
professors of another faith. The most opprobrious terms 
were heaped upon Methodists in that day, and they were 
called "fanatics, swaddlers," etc. Young Sale, however, 
had Christian courage and nerve enough to breast the 
storm of ridicule which he met, and bravely stood his 
ground, fully identifying himself with the despised num- 
ber of Grod's children. With zeal and courage he took 
up the cross, despised the shame, and boldly espoused the 
cause of his divine Master. He passed through many 
and severe conflicts of mind in regard to his call to 
preach the Gospel; but after much prayer and profound 
consideration in regard to what was his duty, he finally 
yielded to the movings of the Spirit and was licensed to 
preach, and in due time received on trial in the traveling 
connection, at the conference held at Salem Chapel, in 
the state of Virginia, on the 24th of November, 1795. 
The first circuit to which he was sent was Swanino, in 
the wilds of Virginia, where he had his courage and 
fidelity tested in breasting the dangers and hardships of 
a pioneer preacher. His next circuit was the Mattamus- 
keet, in the lowlands of the above state. Added to the 
necessary hardships connected with traveling this circuit, 
it was a very sickly region and much dreaded by the itin- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



187 



erant; but as no scenes could disgust or dangers deter 
the preachers of those days, wherever, in the providence 
of God, their lot was cast, Sale went, in the name of his 
Master, and entered upon the work assigned him ready 
to do or die. 

After finishing his labors on this field, he was sent over 
the mountains to the Holston circuit. Here, in the west, 
he had the same hard fare; but he had, as a good and 
faithful soldier, enlisted "during the war/' and felt no 
disposition to lay down his arms till the great Captain of 
his salvation should grant him a final release from con- 
flict and suffering below. In the year 1799 he traveled 
the Russell circuit, and the two succeeding years he 
labored on Salt River and Shelby circuits. The next 
year he traveled the Danville circuit, where, as on all the 
circuits named, he was made a blessing to multitudes. 
Many will hail him on the shores of immortality as the 
honored instrument of their conversion to God. 

In the year 1803 he was sent to the North-Western 
territory, and stationed on Scioto circuit, which embraced 
a large extent of country. The following year he was 
appointed to Miami circuit. These two circuits then 
embraced all the south and west portions of the now state 
of Ohio. It was while traveling this circuit that he 
organized the first society of Methodists in Cincinnati, 
mention of which the reader will find in the chapter 
which relates to the origin and progress of Methodism in 
Cincinnati. The conference which had been held at Mt. 
Gerizim the preceding year, organized the Ohio district, 
which was the first in the state, and the Rev. William 
Burke was appointed the presiding elder, as his auto- 
biography will show. For the purpose of giving the 
preachers of the present day some idea of the extent of 
the fields of labor, and the manner in which they were 
supplied, we will give a list of appointments : Muskingum 



188 



SKETCHES OF 



and Little Kanawha, George Askins; Hockhocking, James 
Quinn, John Meek; Scioto, William Patterson, Nathan 
Barnes; Miami, John Sale, J. Oglesby; Guyandotte, Asa 
Shinn. When we take into the account the sparseness 
of the population, the distance between the appoint- 
ments without roads, rivers to be crossed without bridges, 
it must be obvious that none but such as felt a necessity 
laid upon them to preach the Gospel would be likely to 
engage in such a work. In the year 1805 he returned to 
Kentucky and was appointed to the Lexington circuit. 
Here he labored with success in cultivating the vineyard 
of the Lord, and at the expiration of the year was sent 
to the Ohio district, where he labored with untiring zeal 
for two years. At this time the district was divided, and 
he was appointed to the Miami district. It was during 
his labors on this district that we first became acquainted 
with him, and from his hand in 1809 we received our 
first license to preach the Gospel. He had employed us 
to travel on the circuit four months previous to the date 
of our license, and with his permit we endeavored to 
preach Christ and his salvation around the circuit. From 
the camp meeting on Paint creek, where we received 
license to preach, without any recommendation from a 
class meeting or quarterly conference we were recom- 
mended to the annual conference for admission, and ac- 
cordingly received. A short time since we visited this 
consecrated spot. But the grand old woods were gone. 
The trees, which spread their giant branches and screened 
us from the sun, affording the most refreshing shade, 
have been leveled by the axman's stroke, and there, in 
that cornfield where we stood, had been gathered thou- 
sands of men and women, from all parts of the country, 
to listen to the words of life. A thousand recollections 
rushed upon us as we stood there and wept to think how 
many of that assembled throng had passed away. Here 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



189 



stood the Rev. Dr. Tiffin, and the eloquent Monett, and 
the zealous Collins, of the Baltimore conference — fathei 
of the late Rev. John Collins — the presiding elder, and 
the aged father of the writer of this sketch, and with 
full and fervent hearts proclaimed God's love to perish- 
ing sinners, many of whom tremblingly fled to Christ for 
mercy, and found pardon and salvation. But preachers 
and people have alike gone to that bourne from whence 
no traveler returns, these to answer for the manner in 
which they discharged their duty as ministers of the 
Gospel, and those to render an account for the manner in 
which they received that Gospel from their lips. What 
a solemn reflection, that in a few years all the old pio- 
neers who preached the Gospel in the west will be gone, 
and nothing left to tell of their toils and sufferings but a 
few hasty sketches ! 

In this field of labor brother Sale was quite successful, 
and prosperity attended his labors in all parts of the dis- 
trict. The next four years he labored on the Kentucky 
district, and the two following he was back again on the 
Miami district. In 1817 he traveled Union circuit, and 
the following year Mad River ; and in 1819 he is again 
on the Miami district. The year following, in conse- 
quence of loss of health, he was obliged to take a super- 
annuated relation, in which he remained for five years, at 
the expiration of which time, his health improving, he 
was made effective, and appointed to the Wilmington cir- 
cuit. The next year he traveled Union circuit, and the 
following Piqua, where he closed his labors with his 
life. 

How rapidly have we passed over the labors of the last 
ten years of his life, all summed up in a few lines; and 
how meager the whole of our sketch of this pioneer 
preacher ! And yet how can it be otherwise, where noth- 
ing is left, not even a page, from which to gather a his* 



190 



SKETCHES OF 



tory of his labors ? Indeed, were it not for the printed 
Minutes, which contain his appointments from year to 
year, not even this much could be saved from oblivion 
If "blessings brighten as they take their flight/' and we 
are not disposed to appreciate them till they are removed 
from us, how assiduously should we labor to gather up 
the reminiscences of our aged brethren, and how fondly 
should we cherish those recollections of their heroic 
achievements in the cause of their Lord, which endear 
them to us ! 

On the 15th of January, 1827, while on the Pi qua cir- 
cuit, at the house of his friend and brother, Mr. French, 
he was called to yield up his spirit into the hands of 
God. We visited him a day or two before his death, and 
although his sufferings were intense, yet he had great 
peace in believing. His faith enabled him to behold the 
land that was afar off, and to rejoice in the sight of his 
distant heavenly home. He was frequently heard to say, 
"I am nearing my home. My last battle is fought, and 
the victory sure ! Halleluiah ! My Savior reigneth over 
heaven and earth most glorious ! Praise the Lord l" On 
my second visit we were accompanied by Colonel William 
M'Lean, one of his warm, personal friends. We found 
him very happy, just on the verge of heaven. When 
on rising to leave, we took his hand, and bade him 
farewell. He said, " My son, be faithful, and you shall 
have a crown of life." We left the dying herald of the 
cross strong in faith, giving glory to God for a relig- 
ion that 

" Can make a dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are, 
While on his breast he leaned his head, 
And breathed his life out sweetly there." 

Worn down with the toils and sufferings, as the neces- 
sary and always concomitant attendants of an itinerant 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



191 



life, he was ready and prepared to enter into the rest of 
heaven. 

" Servant of God, well done, 
Best from thy loved employ ; 
The battle's fought, the vict'ry won, 
Enter thy Master's joy." 

Brother Sale was about five feet ten inches high, of 
great symmetry of form, dignified and courteous in his 
manners. He had a dark eye, which, when lighted up 
with the Gospel themes, would flash its fires of holy pas- 
sion, and melt at the recital of a Savior's love. But he 
has gone where anxiety, and toil, and tears come not. 

Brother Sale was not a very vehement speaker, and yet 
he was far from being dry or uninteresting. He indulged 
very little in declamation, his chief aim being to preach 
the doctrines of the Gospel, and enforcing the practice 
thereof ; so that while his hearers were thoroughly indoc- 
trinated in regard to all matters of belief, they were 
urged to the performance of all duties, and thus a life in 
the soul was produced which fitted them for heaven. No 
one excelled him in the judicious administration of dis- 
cipline and the government of the Church. We never 
knew a better manager. He seemed to govern without 
design, and so thoroughly did he acquaint himself with 
the disposition and temperament of men, that all yielded 
to his advice and direction without feeling themselves 
under any constraint. He was a great favorite of Bishop 
Asbury, and was, when able to attend, elected, from time 
to time, as a delegate to the General conference. After 
marrying he settled in the neighborhood of Xenia, at a 
place called Union, one of the early strongholds of our 
western Zion. His family of sons and daughters em- 
braced religion in early life. One of his sons is now a 
traveling preacher in Indiana, and we trust is following 
in the footsteps of his father. His pious and venerable 



192 



SKETCHES OF 



consort still lives, full of faith and good works, waiting 
with patience for the hour to arrive when her divine Lord 
shall call her to mingle with the departed in the world of 
bliss. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



193 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCHES IN OHIO. 

We have already given a description of the "Old 
JSione," in Cincinnati; but before its day there were here 
ana tnere scattered over the state, in different places, 
round and hewed-Iog, and frame churches, which had 
been exeeted and dedicated to the worship of God. 
Though ruae whey answered the purpose for which they 
were erected, and were suited to the times. Some of 
these yet stanct mementos of the past; and though 
they may be unoccupied, or devoted to other purposes, or 
have fallen into decay, and no longer resound with the 
clear, full voice of the- early pioneer itinerant, or echo 
the sound of praise and player, still their memory is pre- 
cious, and a thousand hallowed associations gather around 
their fallen timbers and aikpidated walls. Could histo- 
ries of all these early churcnea 6e written by some master 
hand, what thrilling memories ^rould come up from the 
forgotten past, as the hallowed scenes of other days would 
crowd upon the vision. Our fathers are gone. Only 
here and there, like the rude churches they occupied, 
are they left. As the trees of the mighty forest they 
have fallen around us, and every year witnesses their 
departure from our midst. 

In the Advocate of 1840 the reader will find the fol- 
lowing from the pen of the Rev. H. Smith, a western 
pioneer, whose letter to the Historical Society is not only 
descriptive of early times in Ohio, but shows the dimcul- 
17 



SKETCHES OF 



ties the first preachers had to encounter in getting con- 
gregations and places to preach. It was written to Mr. 
Samuel Williams, the Secretary of said Society; and 
among the interesting items which it contains the reader 
will find an allusion to a log meeting-house, on Scioto 
Brush creek, supposed by him to have been the first 
Methodist church in the North-Western territory: 

"As I have been solicited by several of my brethren, 
in the west, to write something for your society, I ven- 
tured to make a beginning in a letter to my old friend, 
the Rev. William Burke, about the first of August. I 
do not know whether it was received, or how disposed of, 
if received, as I have had no Western Christian Advo- 
cate from the 17th of July to the 28th of August. What 
I do in this way I must do quickly. I am the more en- 
couraged to write as your Society gives great latitude, and 
seems to be disposed to exercise indulgence. 

" Lewis Hunt, a young man, traveled Miami circuit in 
1799 ) but we had heard that he was broken down, and I 
was sent to take his place. On the 15th of September I 
set out, in company with brother Francis M'Cormick, to 
meet brother Hunt, on Mad river. We met him at 
brother Hamer's, and found him so far recovered as to be 
able to go on in his work. My instructions were, that if 
he should be able to continue in the work, to go up the 
Scioto, and form a circuit there. We consulted our 
friends, and formed a plan, uniting Scioto to Miami, 
making a six weeks' circuit. This plan was, however, 
abandoned, on account of the great distance between the 
two circuits, and the dismal swamp we would have to pass 
through every round. 

"On the 18th of September I left brother Hunt, and 
returned to brother M'Cormick's, and on Sunday, the 
22d, I, for the first time, heard the Rev. Philip Gatch 
preach. He was truly a very fine sample of primitive 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



195 



Methodist preachers, simple, plain, and powerful; his 
reliance for success appeared to be wholly upon power 
from above. I found him a meek-spirited, agreeable old 
man, always willing to give counsel when asked, but never 
intruding. But the old veteran has gone to his reward, 
and I trust his praise is still in the Churches in the west. 
I had the pleasure of giving an exhortation after the 
good old man, and the Lord was with us indeed, in pub- 
lic and in class meeting. Some were much refreshed, 
and my own soul among the rest. 

" Monday, 23d. I was unwell, but rode about ten 
miles toward my new field of labor, and lodged with a 
j)Oor but pious Methodist family. 

"Tuesday, 24th. I pursued my journey up the Ohio 
river, and put up with James Sargent, an old Methodist 
friend from Maryland, who received and treated me with 
all the kindness of an old Maryland Methodist. Here I 
left two appointments for my next round. 

" Wednesday, 25th. I still pursued my course up the 
Ohio river, but had a very intricate path, and, indeed, 
sometimes none at all ; but by the good hand of the Lord 
upon me, the evening brought me to the house of a kind 
Presbyterian family. We spent the evening in conversa- 
tion on religious subjects. The old gentleman asked me 
to pray with them in the evening, and again in the morn- 
ing, and pressingly invited me to call again whenever I 
came that way. I thanked them for their hospitality, but 
never had another opportunity of calling upon them. 

" Thursday, 26th. I left this kind family at the mouth 
of Red Oak, and started for Eagle creek, and began to 
inquire for Methodists, but could hear of none. I took 
up Eagle creek, and being directed to a family where I 
could get some information, I rode up to the house, and 
asked the good man of the house if he could tell me 
where any of the people called Methodists lived. He 



196 



SKETCHES OF 



said lie could give me no information. But his wif6 
formerly belonged to the society, and invited me to alight 
and come in. I did so ; and while my horse was eating, 
I told them who I was, and my business. I entered into 
conversation about spiritual things, and requested the 
man to call his family together, and I prayed with and 
for them, and was much drawn out. I gave them a short 
exhortation, and left them all in tears. I rode about 
eight or nine miles, and inquired for Methodists again, 
and was directed to a poor man's cabin. I found him 
and his wife Jane in the cornfield. I called to him, and 
inquired if he could tell me where I could find any of 
the people called Methodists. He leaped over the fence, 
ran to me, and took me by the hand with all the cordial- 
ity of a true Irishman. I told him my name and busi- 
ness, and he received me with every expression of joy, 
called to Jane, and conducted me in triumph to the 
cabin. Jane came out of the field in cornfield habili- 
ments, it is true ; but she soon washed and changed her 
dress, and appeared to make me as welcome to their cabin 
as her husband. Such a reception was worth a day's 
ride. If I was but poorly qualified for a missionary in 
every other respect, I was not in one thing; for I had 
long since conquered my foolish prejudice and delicacy 
about eating, drinking, and lodging. I could submit to 
any kind of inconvenience where I had an opportunity 
of doing good, for I thought myself honored in being 
permitted to labor in any part of the Lord's vineyard. 
My call was among the poor, and among them I could 
feel myself at home. Jane gave me something to eat, 
and we ate our morsel with gladness, and talked about 
Jesus. In time of family prayer the melting power of 
God came down and filled the place with glory. The 
merciful people had taken their poor horse in with them 
the previous winter, and of course it could not be very 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



197 



agreeable ; but poor Jane brought out of her chest as 
clean white sheets as ever came from Ireland, and spread 
them on mj bed, and I slept sweetly, and arose refreshed. 
Here I was informed there were four or five Methodist 
families still higher up the creek, who had formed them- 
selves into a society, and met on Sundays for prayer and 
class meeting. 

" Friday, 27th. I rode to old brother John Foster's, 
and the dear family received me with open arms, and 
sent out word to their neighbors, and I preached on Sat- 
urday the 28th, to about eighteen or twenty persons with 
a degree of life, and the word seemed to find way to their 
hearts. 

" Sunday, 29th. I preached at Peter Rankin's, four 
miles down the creek, to a small but very attentive con- 
gregation — this was the place where the small society 
met — and the poor starving sheep fed freely upon the 
word of life. 

Monday, 30th. I rode to a brother Wornisley's. on 
Ohio Brush creek. With this family I had been 
acquainted in Kentucky, and we had an unexpected but 
joyful meeting. In family worship the Lord was present 
in power, the dear family were melted into tears, and the 
room appeared to be filled with glory and with God. We 
sang and talked about Jesus, and shouted aloud for joy. 
And who would not shout for such an unexpected, but 
seasonable visitation of mercy ? Word was sent out, and 
preaching appointed at William Bushill's. 

Tuesday, 31st. I attended, our congregation was small, 
the country was sparsely settled, and the notice short. 1 
stood up among them, and cried, 'I Am hath sent me 
unto you.' Some poor sinners were deeply affected, and 
seemed to feel as if the Lord had sent me to them, and 
the Lord's poor mourning children had no doubt of it. 
0, it was worth while to suffer a little to meet with such 



198 



SKETCHES OF 



a scene, and such a reception ! Here a society was al« 
ready formed by Joseph Moore, from Scioto Brush creek ; 
and Simon Frilds was their leader. 

" Wednesday, October 1st. I rode to Joseph Moore's, 
Scioto Brush creek. Here I found a considerable so- 
ciety already organized by brother Moore. Here I had 
some success, and the society increased, so that on the 
sixth of August, 1800, we proposed building a meeting- 
house ; for no private house would hold our week-day con- 
gregation. But we met with some opposition, for some 
wanted a free house. But as no one seemed to care 1 for 
their souls' but the Methodists, it appeared to me like 
foolishness to build a house for other denominations, be- 
fore they came and wanted a house. We, however, 
succeeded in building a small log-house, but then 
large enough for the neighborhood, the first Methodist 
meeting-house on the circuit, and perhaps the first in the 
North-Western territory. I did not stop to preach here 
on my first visit, but left an appointment for my next, 
and pressed onward toward Pee Pee, on the Scioto. 

" Friday morning, 4th. I rode through a heavy rain 
to Pee Pee, and called at the house of Snowden Sargent, 
a kind-hearted old Methodist from Maryland. I was wet, 
hungry, and brought plenty of company with me, from a 
bear-skin, my bed the night before. I introduced my- 
self, and met with a cordial reception by a very kind 
family. 

"Saturday, 5th. I rested and refitted; and truly rest 
was needful, as well as desirable. Here I met with sev- 
eral friends with whom I had been acquainted, and among 
them the Rev. William Talbott, who had preached at my 
father's when he first began to itinerate. But his zeal 
and excessive labors soon broke him down, and he retired 
from tire itinerancy, and tried to provide for himself and 
rising family. He, however, preached occasionally. I 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



199 



heard him preach afterward at our quarterly meeting, at 
Pee Pee, with divine unction. 

" Sunday, October 6th. I preached for the first time at 
Pee Pee. All were very attentive, and some felt the 
word. After preaching I called together a few who had 
been in society in various places, and organized a class, 
and the Lord was truly among us. One shouted aloud, 
and the most of the professors appeared to be much 
quickened. In those days I was always at home in a 
class meeting, and if I did not succeed in public I was 
almost sure to come out in class. I preached again at 
night; the people were all attention. I lodged with my 
friend Talbott. 0, how ought those to be esteemed who 
have sacrificed their health, and almost their lives, in the 
cause of God ! but this is not always the case, for some 
end their days in obscurity and poverty." 

We have before us also a communication from one of 
the pioneers of Methodism in Ohio — the Rev. John 
Meek — which will furnish the reader an account of some 
of the first meeting-houses of his day. These reminis- 
cences of olden time are not only interesting in them- 
selves, but they serve to show how small and seemingly 
insignificant were the beginnings of Methodism in this 
western valley, and what astonishing progress has been 
made in the increase of membership, and the building 
of churches all over the land : 

"In the year 1805, when the Miami Valley, from Cin- 
cinnati to the settlement two miles from the spot of 
ground where the beautiful town of Urbana is built, ex- 
tending and spreading from the Big Miami river to White- 
oak creek, into what is now called Brown county, at brother 
Davis's, near where Georgetown is now growing, I was 
appointed to that circuit. The above territory was my 
field of labor in that year — 1805 — which was the year 
alluded to by brother Simmons, in which Hopewell meet- 



200 



SKETCHES OF 



ing-house was built, at the dedication of which the smal] 
Church in that part of the wilderness was blessed by the 
labors of our beloved M' Ken dree, of precious memory, 
and brother William Burke, who was then presiding 
elder of the Ohio district, together with brothers Amos 
and Patterson. I believe brother Burke preached from 
2 Corinthians iii, 18 : 'But we all with open face,' etc.; 
and brother M'Kendree followed with, 'Now the Lord is 
that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is 
liberty' — 17th verse. The anointing of the Holy Spirit 
appeared to be upon them; 'the power of God was present 
to heal;' the slain of the Lord were maDy; the cry of 
the wounded, and the shout of them that were made 
whole 'was heard afar off;' and, blessed be God ! I expect 
to meet some in heaven that were converted to God at 
that meeting. I will here say, those were the happiest 
days of my life — log-cabins to preach in, puncheon floors 
to sleep on, long rides, corn-bread and milk to eat, a con- 
stant succession of kind friends to make welcome, and 
the love of God in the soul, a home high up in heaven 
in prospect, and the blessed promise of, ' Lo I am with 
you always, even unto the end of the world/ gave the 
mind a most pleasing variety, and caused our time to 
move on most agreeably. But where have I wandered 
from what I intended when I sat down to write? 

" But to old Hopewell log meeting-house. I will say 
to brother Simmons's inquiry, a log meeting-house was 
erected in West Wheeling circuit, on Indian Short creek, 
called Holmes's meeting-house, some time in the year 
1803, in the immediate neighborhood of which there 
followed one of the most powerful revivals of the work 
of God, in the awakening and conversion of sinners to 
God, that I recollect ever to have witnessed ; and I think 
T will be safe in saying, that from the time that Holmes's 
log meeting-house was erected, more than one hundred 



WESTEKN" METHODISM. 



201 



souls were happily converted to God, and on their way to 
heaven, ere Hopewell meeting-house, of which my be- 
loved Simmons speaks, was ever thought of. And in the 
year 1804 there was a log meeting-house commenced, 
raised, and covered at old brother Thomas Odle's, a local 
preacher, on Eagle creek, in Scioto circuit, though it was 
never finished. So you see the pioneers of the Miami 
were not the first in Ohio to build meeting-houses " 



202 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SAMUEL PARKER. 

That eminent servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose 
name stands at the head of this chapter, in consequence 
of his relation to the west and the labors and privations 
he endured in planting the Gospel from the Muskingum 
and Ohio to the Missouri and Mississippi, deserves a 
prominent place in the annals of western Methodism. 
To give our readers a sketch of his laborious and useful 
life is the object of this chapter. 

Samuel Parker was born in the state of New Jersey in 
the year 1774. His parents were religious, and, of 
course, respectable. Indeed, none need wish to trace 
their genealogy to a higher or more honorable source; for 
a Christian is emphatically "the highest style of man," 
and the only respect of persons with God himself is that 
which has for its basis a religious character. Young 
Parker was early put to a trade, that he might learn, by a 
lawful and honorable employment, to gain a respectable 
living in the world. It is said he possessed a remarkable 
natural genius, and made great proficiency in the me- 
chanic art in which he was employed. 

The most remarkable event that transpired in relation 
to him, in the days of his youth, was his conversion to 
God, and the sudden abandonment consequent thereon 
of his wicked practices and ungodly associates. Among 
the young and frivolous, in scenes of mirth and revelry, 
his presence was always the most agreeable, and his com- 
pany was sought for on all occasions, being a general 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



203 



favorite among all classes. He had a voice of unusual 
sweetness as well as of compass and power. Added to 
this peculiar gift, as a child of song, was an urbanity of 
manners and a suavity of disposition that prepossessed all 
hearts in his favor. When he joined the Church and 
broke up his old and wicked associations, of course his 
former wicked friends forsook him. The line of demark- 
ation was much more strongly marked between the 
Church and the world then than at the present time, and 
professors of religion were distinguished by peculiarities 
which made them known and read of all men. One has 
said, in speaking of the wonderful similarity between the 
most of professors of religion at the present day and the 
world, that it would take the eye of an angel to distin- 
guish them; but it was not so then. A profession of 
religion created a chasm between the professor and the 
world, which, though not as broad and deep as that which 
separated Abraham from Dives, yet was impassable to all 
but those who would willingly take up their cross and, 
despising the shame, enroll themselves under the banner 
of the Prince of Life. Young Parker had deliberately 
crossed over to the Lord's side, and was ready, having 
counted the cost, to "hail reproach and welcome shame" 
for the sake of Jesus and his cause. For twelve years he 
continued a private member of the Church, faithfully de- 
voted to all her interests, and ready to engage in any 
work that his Master might assign him. There was one 
work, however, concerning which he had much solicitude, 
and that was the fearfully-responsible work of the minis- 
try. During all this time he was greatly exercised in 
mind in regard to his call. He would not rush suddenly 
into a place where angels are not permitted to enter, nor 
would he shrink from a responsibility clearly imposed, 
however great. He wanted full proof that he was called 
of God to proclaim salvation to his dying fellow-man, and 



204: 



SKETCHES OF 



having that he was ready to give up all for Christ, and 
enter whatever field of labor might be assigned to him, 

We are of the number of those who believe that there 
are more who refuse to yield to this divine call to the 
ministry than of those who presumptuously rush uncalled 
into the holy place, and that the providence of God has 
much to do, not only in preparing the way for the one 
but in restraining the other. Fully impressed, after years 
of conflict, that he had a call to preach the Gospel, and 
that if he did not yield the Divine displeasure would rest 
upon him, he at length gave himself up wholly to the 
Lord in the work of the ministry, and in the year 1800 
was duly licensed as a local preacher in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. While he continued in this relation 
he exercised his gifts at every opportunity, and engaged 
in a course of preparatory study, the more effectually to 
prepare himself for usefulness, should Providence open 
his way into the itinerant field. During this time he 
made rapid progress in literary and theological knowl- 
edge, and was thus enabled, in the year 1805, to enter 
the itinerant ranks with advantages of literary and theo- 
logical training vastly superior to many of his cotempo- 
raries. His, however, was not that knowledge that pufT- 
eth up. He brought all his literature, and science, and 
theology to the foot of the cross, and there had his 
attainments and himself baptized with the meek and 
holy spirit of his Master. He was received on trial, as a 
traveling preacher, in the Western conference, held at 
Mt. Gerizim, Kentucky, in the fall of the year above 
specified, and was appointed to Hinkston circuit, where 
he remained traveling from appointment to appointment, 
doing the work of an evangelist and striving to make full 
proof of his ministry. In the year 1806 he was ap- 
pointed to the Lexington circuit, and the year following 
to Limestone circuit, both in the state of Kentucky. In 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



205 



1808 lie was appointed to the Miami circuit, in the state 
of Ohio, Cincinnati being one of the appointments. On 
this circuit he was the messenger of glad tidings to many 
a despairing sinner. Multitudes were awakened and con 
Yerted to God through his instrumentality, and through- 
out the Miami Valley there are many who were brought 
into the kingdom of grace through his instrumentality, 
and yet stand living witnesses for Christ and the power 
of the Gospel to save. 

We have already remarked that brother Parker pos- 
sessed a voice of unusual melody, and was excelled by 
few, if any, in the power of song. Many were attracted 
to the Church to listen to the divine strains which he 
would pour forth upon his enraptured and weeping au- 
diences. He was not only gifted with a remarkable voice, 
but he had brought it under a high state of cultivation, 
and it was said he was a perfect master of music. We 
were told by Bishop M'Kendree that when he was on the 
Hinkston circuit, at one of brother Parker's quarterly 
meetings, he mentioned to him a tune which he had 
heard in the southern part of Kentucky that so interested 
and thrilled him, that it had been sounding in his mind 
ever since. The Bishop was deprived, like many others, 
of the wonderful gift of song, though he had an exqui- 
site ear for music, and was said to be a connoisseur. 
Brother Parker told him he thought he could produce it, 
and for this purpose they both retired to the woods. The 
plan for its production, or, rather, reproduction, was this. 
The preacher sounded the various notes, and the Bishop 
would tell him when a note accorded with the tune. 
Thus he continued till he had written every note of the 
entire piece. The time for preaching having arrived 
they went into the congregation, and to the utter aston- 
ishment of the Bishop the tune was sung to appropriate 
words, but with a melody and a power, which not only 



206 



SKETCHES OF 



affected the Bishop, but the whole congregation, to 
tears. 

But his musical powers were not all, though to hear 
him would remind one of the melody of heaven; he had 
an eloquence and power in the pulpit that were irresisti- 
ble, and wherever he went wondering and weeping audi- 
ences crowded to hear him. Many came a great distance 
to listen to him, so wide-spread was his fame as a pulpit 
orator. On one occasion an aged and very pious German 
brother came a considerable distance to hear him. When 
he arrived the preacher had taken his text and was mak- 
ing his introduction. The old brother took his seat and 
listened to the slow and measured words of the preacher, 
as he proceeded to advance his propositions. Not being 
able to discover any thing extraordinary, either in the 
matter or manner of the preacher, the honest old German 
would drop his head, giving it a significant shake, and 
say to himself, "Dis bees not Barker: dis be not him 
surely." After he had progressed some time in his dis- 
course, and began to warm up a little with his theme, and 
occasionally flash out a bright and beautiful thought, the 
Dutchman, with a meditative look, and head a little in- 
clined, would say, " May be dis is Barker." The preacher 
at length got fairly under way; his soul was on fire, and 
impassioned strains of eloquence, like full bursts of glory 
from the upper sanctuary, fell upon the rapt multitude. 
The old German rose to his feet, and was moving uncon- 
sciously forward, charmed with the eloquence of the 
preacher. He was lost to all surrounding objects, and 
lost to himself; for so intently was his attention fixed 
that he dropped his hat. When the preacher closed, the 
old man was at the altar, as near as he could get to the 
pulpit, and, drawing a long breath, he turned round, ex- 
claiming, in a loud voice, "Mine Got, vot an outcome dis 
Barker has got !" 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



207 



It is related of this old German brother, that being in 
court one time when a young lawyer, a member of the 
Methodist Church, was pleading most eloquently and feel- 
ingly the case of a poor, unfortunate girl, so much so 
that the judges and jury alike began to shed tears, he 
rose from his seat and exclaimed, "Mine Got, send more 
power; send more power to these sinners' hearts!" The 
good old man imagined that they were awakened by the 
exhortation of the Methodist lawyer, and that they would 
soon all be at the mourner's bench crying for mercy. 

At the conference which was held in the year 1809, 
brother Parker was elected and ordained to the office of 
an elder in the Church. Having used the office of a 
deacon well, and having obtained a good degree and great- 
boldness in the cause of his Master, and having given 
full proof of his efficiency as a minister, he was deemed 
worthy of promotion to the more responsible, but yet 
more arduous office of a presiding elder. His district 
embraced the whole of the state of Indiana, and the 
states of Illinois and Missouri. For vastness of territory, 
and for the amount of labor required to travel it, we 
think this must have been the banner district of those 
times. Notwithstanding the extent of the field, the 
amount of labor necessary to be expended in its cultiva- 
tion, Parker's zeal and enterprise were adequate to the 
great undertaking. Buckling on the harness, if possible, 
with a steadier nerve and greater firmness of purpose, he 
turned his face toward the setting sun, and was soon lost 
to sight in the depths of the wilderness on the errand of 
his Master. In traversing this vast wilderness of woods, 
prairies, swamps, and rivers, inhabited principally by 
savage men and beasts of prey, exposed to the northern 
blasts of winter and the scorching heats of summer, God 
was with him. In the rude log-cabins of the west he 
found hard fare, but harder still when no cabin opened 



208 



SKETCHES OF 



its friendly door, and he had to lie down supperless 
among the leaves of the wood, or the grass of the prai- 
ries, and not unfrequently upon the snow, with nothing 
but heaven's canopy for his covering. From the White- 
water, in Indiana, to the farthest settler in Missouri, did 
this faithful herald of the cross go to proclaim the glad 
tidings of salvation in the name of Jesus. For four 
years did the indefatigable Parker cultivate this vast 
field, and with such success " so mightily grew the word 
of God and prevailed," that it was necessary, at the expi- 
ration of this period, to divide the district, and call more 
laborers into the vineyard of the Lord. When he en- 
tered upon the field there were but three hundred and 
eighty-two members in all its bounds; but at the expira- 
tion of four years, under his superintendence, there were 
upward of two thousand. 

An incident occurred at the conference which was held 
in Cincinnati, in 1813, which, in this connection, we will 
relate. There being no church on Sabbath large enough 
to hold the congregation, or rather the vast crowds which 
attended upon the ministrations of the occasion, we ad- 
journed to the Lower Market Space, on Lower Market- 
street, between Sycamore and Broadway. The services 
commenced at 11 o'clock. The Rev. Learner Blackman 
preached from the third petition of the Lord's prayer : 
" Thy kingdom come." He was followed by brother Par- 
ker with a sermon on the fourth petition of the same 
prayer: "Thy will be done." After he had concluded, 
brother James Ward gave an exhortation after the man- 
ner of olden time. Then followed brother John Collins, 
who, from the same butcher's block whereon the preach- 
ers had stood, commenced, with a soft and silvery voice, 
to sell the shambles — as only John Collins could — in the 
market. These he made emblematic of a full salvation 
without money and without price. It was not long till 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



209 



the vast assembly were in tears at the melting, moving 
strains of the eloquent preacher. On invitation a large 
number came forward, and kneeled down for an interest in 
the prayers of God's people. We joined with them, and 
other ministers who were present, heartily in the work, 
and before that meeting closed in the market-house, 
many souls were happily converted to God. 

This year brother Parker was appointed to labor on the 
Deer Creek circuit, which included all the settlements on 
that stream, as well as those on Darby, Scioto, and the 
North Fork of Paint creek, extending to Chillicothe, then 
the metropolis of the state. In this less extensive but 
still laborious field, his efforts to advance the kingdom of 
his Lord were wonderfully blessed. It was in the palmy 
days of camp meetings, before such meetings had lost 
their sheen and power, and the region where he labored 
was blessed with these annual seasons of religious inter- 
est. One of the most powerful camp meetings ever held 
in the west was in the bounds of this circuit, at White 
Brown's, on Deer creek. Here were collected the thou- 
sands of our Israel from all parts of the country, while 
the ministry was represented by the best talent in the 
Western conference. Among the preachers present on 
this occasion were John Collins, J. Quinn, Alexander 
Cummins, H. W. Finley, Heliums, Strange, Crume, and 
others. While one after another of these pioneer preach- 
ers would hold forth the word of life to listening, atten- 
tive thousands, the Spirit would apply the truth with 
demonstrative power to the heart, and hundreds were 
awakened and converted to God. Many that came out 
of an idle curiosity had an interest awakened in their 
hearts, to them before unknown, while many who came 
to curse and oppose the cause of God, remained to pray 
and unite with the faithful in carrying it on. It was a 
time long to be remembered, and hundreds on earth and 
18 



210 



SKETCHES OF 



in heaven will call to remembrance, with grateful emo 
tions, the hallowed scenes and associations at the Deer 
Creek camp meeting. 

At the close of the year 1813 the conference was held 
at Steubenville, Ohio. From this conference brother 
Parker received his appointment to the Miami district, 
which at that time embraced all the country lying be- 
tween the Ohio river and the Olentangy, and the Scioto 
and Great Miami. His labors on this field were arduous, 
but successful. A zeal for the cause of God, fed with 
an unquenchable fire from off God's altar, urged him on, 
and nothing could stop him in his burning course around 
his district. Many, in the day of eternity, will thank 
God for sending the messages of mercy through so elo- 
quent and faithful a herald. 

The next year, which was 1815, he was removed from 
the Miami district, and appointed presiding elder of the 
Kentucky district. He remained in this field of labor 
four consecutive years, during all which time he was in 
labors more abundant. He was universally beloved on 
the district, both by the preachers and people, and his 
labors were crowned with great success. He had now 
reached life's prime, being in the forty-fifth year of his 
age ; and deeming it prudent to change his relation in 
life by taking to himself a companion, he accordingly 
sought and obtained the hand of Miss Alethia Tilton, 
the daughter of a venerable and useful local preacher of 
that name, who proved a most worthy and suitable part- 
ner for a Methodist itinerant, in those days of privation 
and hardship. This worthy lady enjoyed his society 
long enough to be sensible of the melancholy fact that 
there is no affliction incident to suffering humanity so 
exquisite as the loss of a companion, who united all the 
endearing qualities that nature and grace can combine in 
the person of a husband. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



211 



We come now to the most interesting, because the 
most trying, period in the history of our departed broth- 
er's life; one which not only served to develop his 
character even more fully than it yet had been developed, 
but which presents the Church and the world an exam- 
ple of moral heroism as worthy of imitation as it is of 
praise. 

At the conference which was held in Cincinnati in the 
summer of 1819, the bishops felt the utmost solicitude in 
regard to finding a man of the requisite qualifications to 
fill a post of the greatest importance in the Mississippi 
conference. Before them were ministers from all parts 
of the great western field; and after scanning the whole, 
they found in the person of Samuel Parker the one that, 
in their judgment, was admirably adapted for the work. 
His experience in the work, and above all his command- 
ing talents, fitted him, in an eminent degree, for the 
occupancy of that difficult and distant field. The only 
thing they could conceive of as being in the way of his 
appointment was, his delicate health, and that his wife 
must be torn away from the embrace of her friends to 
share the fate and fortunes of her husband — a stranger 
in a strange land. Besides the greatness of the dis- 
tance and his feeble health, the country embraced in the 
field was regarded as quite sickly. When, however, the 
bishops intimated the demands which the Church, in the 
providence of God, seemed to have upon his labors and 
sacrifices, in the true spirit of a witness for Jesus, if 
need be, to the ends of the earth, he was ready to say, in 
the language of Paul, "I count not my life dear unto me, 
that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry 
which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
Gospel of the grace of God." He had laid all upon the 
altar of his Lord. He had endured hardness as a good 
soldier, and it was no time now for him to take back 



212 



SKETCHES OF 



the offering, or to hesitate in the further fulfillment of 
the vows which he had made to please Him who had 
called him to be a soldier. Ready for every position 
which God, in his providence, might assign him, he said 
to the over-shepherds of the Church, " Here am I, send 
me." 

The conference closed, and when it was announced by 
the presiding bishop that he was appointed presiding 
elder of the Mississippi district, a wave of sympathy 
rolled over the entire conference. We shall never forget 
the parting scene. When we took our dear Parker by 
the hand, and said, "Farewell, beloved brother, till we 
meet again," we felt that it would be in the commun- 
ings of that world, 

" Where no farewell words are spoken, 
And no farewell tears are shed." 

It seemed as though we were all engaged in the solemni- 
ties of a sacrifice where the victim was one of the most 
lovely and talented of our brotherhood. 

The last days of summer were tinting with golden 
hues the plains of the sunny south, as the sweet-spirited 
Parker, with his lovely bride, was wending his way 
thither in the name of his Master. He had left his 
friends, and home, and kindred, and was going to a far- 
distant land, among strangers, to labor and die. The 
bishops fondly hoped that the genial winter-clime of the 
south might prove beneficial to his health; but, alas! 
how often has it proven true, that where one invalid 
passes the process of acclimation, and becomes convales- 
cent, many die; and so it proved in this case. When he 
arrived at his destination, enfeebled and worn down with 
fatigue, his disease assumed, in a short time, a more ma- 
lignant type, so that in November the most fearful appre- 
hensions were excited that he would soon be called to 
exchange worlds. He never performed any labor on his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



213 



district^ and the only advantage resulting from his emi- 
gration to that distant and difficult post was the lesson 
which his example afforded, and the spirit and peace 
in which a Christian can suffer and die. 

Thus he lingered on till the session of the Missouri 
conference, when he seemed to have slightly improved, 
and hopes were entertained by some that he might re- 
cover; but others, better acquainted with the nature of 
his disease, and the climate to which it was subjected, 
knew that they were as fallacious and transient as the 
fading hues of evening, which serve only to light the 
passage of departing day. Soon after conference he 
relapsed into a worse state than before, and he was rap- 
idly brought down to the verge of the grave. In all these 
sufferings and changes through which he passed, this 
servant of the Lord was enabled to say, in perfect resig- 
nation, "Father, not my will but thine be done." On 
the sixth of December, when a holy quiet was reigning 
around, disturbed only by the sobs of an affectionate wife, 
which alone prevented one from thinking that the cham- 
ber where he lay was quite in the confines of heaven, the 
talented, faithful, and devoted Parker passed away to the 
bosom of his Savior and God. 

Before his departure God had blessed him with an 
infant son, but the little one did not long survive. It 
was soon called to join its father in the blissful realms 
of the blest. The Sabbath after his decease his funeral 
sermon was preached, at Washington, Mississippi, by 
the Rev. William Winans, to a large and weeping con- 
gregation. The text was Revelations xiv, 13 : "Blessed 
are the dead who die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, 
that they may rest from their labors, and their works fol- 
low them." 

The personal appearance of brother Parker was strik- 
ingly prepossessing. He was about five feet ten or eleven 



214 



SKETCHES OF 



inches high, a slender but well-made form. He had a 
fine intellectual cast of countenance, expansive fore- 
head, and black, piercing eye. He was one of the finest 
speakers we ever listened to, his voice being exceedingly 
musical, and capable of the softest, sweetest intonations. 
But that fine, manly form is mingled with the dust, and 
that voice, so entrancing, has been hushed upon earth 
forever. A volume might be written upon the labors and 
sufferings, and excellences of his character; but as we 
only design brief sketches, embracing important points 
in the lives of some of our pioneer Methodist preachers, 
to rescue them from oblivion, and hold up their example 
to the light of the present generation, we must bring 
our remarks, however reluctantly, to a close. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



215 



CHAPTER XIY. 

LEARNER BLACKMAN. 

The subject of our present sketch was born in the 
state of New J ersey ; but in regard to the exact date of 
his birth we have no opportunity of knowing. He was 
descended from pious parents, and many members of the 
family, at different periods of life, became religious. 
Our acquaintance with brother Blackman commenced in 
the year 1808. He was a brother-in-law of the Kev. 
John Collins, through whose instrumentality he was 
brought into the kingdom of grace, and made an heir 
of salvation. The personal appearance of Blackman was 
prepossessing, and impressed one, in looking upon his 
tall, slender form, and dark, flashing eye, that he had 
genius and eloquence; but when engaged in conversa- 
tion, the brilliance and fascination of his manners would 
demonstrate that fact in a remarkable degree. To judge 
of his eloquence, however, he must be heard; and none 
who were permitted to listen to his silvery voice, when 
engaged in description, or its impassioned strains when 
in declamation, would go away without being impressed 
with his power over the heart. He may have taken the 
pathetic Collins for his model as a pulpit orator. Of 
this, however, we can not speak assuredly ; but whoever 
was his model, or whether he had any that he copied 
after, one thing is certain, he was an eloquent divine. 

We have been favored with a description of western 
preachers by one who has lived to witness what he calls 
the various phases through which the pulpit style has 



216 



SKETCHES OF 



passed in his day. Among the first class of Methodist 
preachers there was a marked, if not an exclusive atten- 
tion and devotion to doctrinal preaching. In all their 
sermons the distinctive doctrines of Methodism occupied 
the chief place. Repentance, faith, justification, sancti- 
fication, the possibility of falling from grace, with the 
doctrine of the atonement as contradistinguished from 
the Calvinian view, and occasional brushes at- Church 
polity and ordinances as held by other denominations, 
formed the staples of the sermons of these early preach, 
ers. But not only was Calvinism attacked; Arianism, 
Universalism, and other forms of error were made to feel 
the lash of these sturdy pioneers of the faith of Wesley. 

The next class which immediately succeeded these, in 
a great measure lost sight of polemic theology, and turned 
their attention to the graces of oratory. Their sermons 
were profusely interlarded with poetry, and some of the 
preachers possessed a peculiar penchant for blank verse. 
We recollect to have heard it said of one of the preach- 
ers of this class, that "he would break a square any time 
to make a jingle." Nicely-rounded periods, beauty of 
expression, and fine rhetorical flourishes, were regarded 
as of more importance than orthodoxy itself. Still, how- 
ever, there were exceptions to this general rule, as also in 
regard to the first class. 

This class had its day, and was followed by a third, 
and succeeding one, whose characteristic consisted in a 
didactic style of preaching. Their sermons, though not 
elaborately ornamented with poetry and flights of fancy, 
were, nevertheless, illustrated, from beginning to end, 
with anecdotes and incidents, some of which were so ap- 
propriate, that they are told by preachers of this class 
with thrilling effect, even to this day. A well-authenti- 
cated anecdote or incident, in the hands of a skillful 
preacher, will frequently accomplish more in arresting 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



21? 



tho attention and stirring up the soul to action, than the 
most powerful declamation itself. We shall have oc- 
casion, in another part of this book, to relate some of 
these. 

This peculiar style of preaching, however, did not last 
always. It served its allotted time and gave way, not to 
a new class, but to the revival of an old one; and it 
seems that it did not stop in a medium in regard to its 
predecessors, but bounded back to the old stock, and re- 
vived the good old doctrinal style, mixing it up, however, 
with a little more of the historical and exegetical. How 
far this applies to the Methodist pulpit of the present 
day, your old friend will leave some graphic delineator of 
the times to describe. We do not profess to wield such 
a pen as would claim for us the qualification to enter upon 
the task of describing the Methodist pulpit of the pres- 
ent day, though were we to assume it we would not be 
disposed to consider it as being marked by any one strik- 
ing characteristic distinguishing it from the pulpits of 
other denominations. We believe the Methodist pulpit 
to have vastly more learning at the present time than at 
any former period; but whether it possesses more zeal, 
and devotion, and wisdom, such as is adequate to win 
souls to Christ, is a question we shall not at present dis- 
cuss, only so far as to say that our Church seems, in the 
hands of the present ministry, to be enlarging her bor- 
ders beyond all precedent, in every section of the 
country. 

But we ask pardon of our readers for having digressed 
so far from our subject, and shall resume our sketch of 
the young and talented Blackman. At the early age of 
nineteen he commenced his itinerant life. He was ad- 
mitted on trial in the year 1800, and sent to Kent cir- 
cuit. After this he traveled in regular succession Dover, 
Russell, New River, and Lexington circuits. Concerning 
19 



218 



SKETCHES OF 



his labors in these respective fields we have no informa- 
tion. In the year 1805 he was sent as a missionary to 
Natchez, thus passing rapidly over a vast extent of 
country. 

The new field of labor to which he was destined was 
then the farthest west. To reach his appointment it was 
necessary for him to travel through a wilderness seven or 
eight hundred miles in extent, untenanted, except by 
savages and beasts of prey. But no, there were worse 
men than savages and beasts of prey — more cruel than 
the panther. We allude to those Indian traders who, to 
rob the red man of his skins and furs, would give them 
ardent spirits to drink and make them drunk, so that they 
would, in turn, rob and murder the traveler. It is the 
example of the white man that gave to the Indian char- 
acter its desperate savageness; and as an old soldier and 
statesman, well acquainted with the history and policy of 
the nation, the other day remarked in Congress, "In 
every treaty that has been violated by the Indians the 
white man has been the aggressor." 

Nothing daunted, our young hero missionary started 
on his journey. For fourteen days and nights he trav- 
eled alone and unattended through the wilderness. At 
night he would hitch his horse, and taking his saddle- 
bags for a pillow and his blanket for a covering, he would 
lie down in the woods, commending himself to the keep- 
ing of his G-od. At length he arrived at the place of his 
destination. Methodism had scarcely gained an exist- 
ence in the place. Yet there were a few who had been 
awakened and converted to God through the labors of 
Rev. Tobias Gibson, and they were struggling to keep 
alive the spark of grace in the midst of the superabound- 
ing wickedness. Notwithstanding there were some repu- 
table persons friendly disposed to religion and morals, yet 
it was a lamentable fact that the vast majority were totally 



WE STERN METHODISM. 



219 



bankrupt in morals, and their proud hearts and vicious 
lives made them decided opponents of the Gospel of 
Christ; but their opposition was more strictly arrayed 
against those who preached it. At one time, when a 
plain, unlettered man was preaching, the wicked portion 
of the audience had great merriment on account of his 
ignorance of correct language. It seems that they had 
set themselves up to be judges, not hearers, of the word. 
"We have such hearers at the present day. They will 
make a man offend for a word, and they will tax their 
shallow brains so much to recollect that, such is their 
anxiety to criticise, that if one should ask them about 
the division of the subject, or even the text itself, their 
feeble brains can not recall it. They are unable to 
hold but one idea at a time. At one time the grammar 
of this preacher was at fault, at another time his rhetoric, 
and then his logic, besides his gestures were awkward, 
etc. They did all they could to hedge up the poor man's 
way, and said he was not competent to preach. How- 
ever, he was not to be intimidated by the laugh and sneer 
of his ungodly hearers. On one of his visits he took for 
his text the following: "Ye serpents, ye generation of 
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell!" Then 
said he, in tones of thunder, "Gentlemen, is that gram- 
mar?" He was divinely assisted in his sermon, and hav- 
ing greatly the advantage of his censors, who sat as if 
taken by surprise, he kept it by pouring upon them pas- 
sage after passage of divine denunciation upon the wicked, 
frequently asking the annoying question, "Gentlemen, is 
that grammar?" So successful was that effort, that ever 
afterward there was a studied silence in regard to the 
preacher's defects, and his grammar never afterward was 
called in question. 

In the midst of such society young Blackman com 
menced his labors in that distant region. He was a 



220 



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stranger in a strange land, far from home and kindred. 
There were then no missionary funds to aid the itinerant 
in planting the Gospel in destitute places, and all the sup- 
port upon which he could rely was the naked promise, 
"Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." 
He shared largely in the labors, privations, and reproaches 
incident to his calling, as a minister; but he realized the 
fulfillment of the promise in the presence of his Master, 
and the consolations of his grace. Occasionally the 
bright and happy scenes of home would flit across his 
memory, and the temptation to return to the loved ones 
he had left would be presented to his mind. " Surely," 
would the tempter say, "Your God is not a hard mas- 
ter, and he does not require you to preach the Gospel to 
those who will neither receive nor support it." But 

"The vows of God were on him, 
And he dare not turn aside to 
Pluck terrestrial fruit, or play with 
Earthly flowers." 

What if they did not receive him; they also rejected his 
Master, and the servant must not be greater than his 
Lord; so in faith, and patience, and hope he labored on 
in the service of his King and Savior. 

In the year 1806 he was appointed presiding elder of 
the Mississippi district. New laborers were brought into 
the field, which, while it proved a source of mutual en- 
couragement, enabled them to present a stronger front to 
the enemy. The strongholds of sin and infidelity were 
attacked; errors, incrusted by time and fortified by cus- 
tom, were destroyed; prejudices, the most inveterate, were 
driven away; and the light of the Gospel began to shed 
its cheering beams upon the long night of darkness 
which had reigned. Sinners were awakened and con- 
verted to God, houses of worship were erected, Churches 
organized, and the institutions of religion established; in 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



221 



fine, "the "wilderness and solitary places were made glad 
and the desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose," through 
the instrumentality of these faithful, self-denying heralds 
of the cross. In all the bounds of his present field of 
labor, when he first entered upon his work, there were 
but seventy-four whites and sixty-two colored members; 
and after three years' labor he was permitted to see em- 
braced in the same field an entire district, with five cir- 
cuits and a large increase in the membership. 

But the itinerant system required him to cultivate 
other fields, and he left the lowlands of Mississippi, 
where he was beloved and respected by a numerous host 
of friends, whom Grod had raised up as the fruits of his 
labors, and went to Tennessee to preside on the Holston 
district. Here he continued two years, and from thence 
was removed to the Cumberland district, where he also 
remained two years, and at the expiration of which time 
he was placed, by the authorities of the Church, on the 
Nashville district. On all these fields he was in labors 
more abundant, and God crowned those labors with suc- 
cess, by making them effectual in bringing into the 
Church a rich harvest of souls. Perhaps under the 
labors of no one, in his day, were the borders of Zion 
more enlarged in the lengthening of her cords and the 
strengthening of her stakes. In the year 1815 he was 
reappointed to the Cumberland district. In the mean 
time he had married; and desirous of visiting his rela- 
tions in Ohio, among whom was brother Collins, who had 
married his sister, he took a few days of spare time for 
that purpose. 

He was again at his home and surrounded by the 
scenes of his youth — surrounded by the friends of other 
days, whose presence called up hallowed associations. 
After enjoying their society for a short time — for he 
could spare but a little while to turn aside and greet his 



222 



SKETCHES OF 



friends — -he bade them adieu and started for the field of 
his labors. Many tears were shed at parting, but none 
knew that they were the tears of a last farewell. None 
knew that in a few hours that tall, graceful form would 
be cold in death, and that dark but kindly eye, which 
beamed with such happiness, would close its light on 
earth forever. But the ways of Grod are inscrutable; 

" Impervious shadows hide 
The mystery of heaven." 

The minister and his young, blooming bride, on their 
return, reached Cincinnati. Here they must cross the 
Ohio; but no proud steamer, as now, with its spacious 
guards spread out to the beach, is waiting to receive the 
passengers and ferry them over. A crazy craft, with sails 
and paddles, in that olden time, was all the means pos- 
sessed for keeping up a communication between Ohio and 
Kentucky. Alighting from the carriage, the horses were 
driven into the flat, and it was pushed from the shore. 
Brother Blackman stood in front of his horses to hold 
them. When all was clear, and the boat was a short dis- 
tance from the shore, the ferryman commenced hoisting 
his sails, the sight or flapping of which frightened the 
horses. Blackman made every effort to hold them, but 
before assistance could be had they plunged overboard, 
taking him with them. He had a strong arm and was a 
good swimmer; but, alas! neither strength nor skill can 
avail when the work of man is done. Till that hour he 
was immortal, but the time had come for the termination 
of his labors and his release from earth. He sank to 
rise no more a living man, till Jesus shall wake his saints 
from the sleep of death and call them up to heaven. 
Thus ended the laborious life of the young and talented 
Learner Blackman; and though the waters of the river, 
which roll yonder, quenched his life and drowned his 
dying words, yet we believe he sleeps in Jesus. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



223 



CHAPTER XV. 
lost child; or, "the camp of lydia." 

Td a denizen of a large city the words which stand at 
the head of this article produce but a faint impression 
when compared with that produced upon the mind of the 
villager. To the former it is a familiar sound, and he is 
accustomed by day and by night to hear the bellman's 
voice rising above the din of the city, or ringing out on 
the clear night air, "Lost child 1" But when these 
words fall upon the ear of the dweller in the woods, or 
the inhabitant of the wilderness, a thousand frightful 
images at once rush upon the mind, rousing all to the 
most intense excitement. Once, while returning home 
about eleven o'clock on a cold winter's night, in a large 
city, we heard, at the corner of a square, an alarm bell, 
and we stopped to listen. Presently a despairing cry 
arose, "Lost children/' accompanied by a description of 
their persons, and directions where to take them if found. 
Knowing it was not the old bellman, whose voice had be- 
come familiar to us in crying, "Lost child/' we waited 
till the crier came up. When he reached the corner 
where we stood, he rung his bell and cried again. Just 
as he concluded, a whiskered animal, dressed in gentle- 
man's clothes, coming along, exclaimed, "Try it again, 
old fellow!" "You heartless wretch!" said we, but he 
passed without noticing us. We then asked the criei 
whose children were lost. "Mine," said he, "and the 
child of a poor widow living close by me. We are not 
able to pay the bellman, and I started out myself to hunt 



224: 



SKETCHES OF 



the children. " " 0, God." we thought, "what a heart- 
less world ! Here is a poor man seeking his lost child at 
the dead hour of night, in the streets and alleys of a 
vast city, and not a soul to sympathize with or help him I" 
But to our story. 

In the year 1805, when all the region of country bor- 
dering upon the Ohio river was a wilderness, and only 
here and there were villages, which had sprung up in the 
vicinity of forts — such, for instance, as Marietta, at Fort 
Harmar, and Cincinnati, at Fort Washington — and the 
savages roamed unmolested over the broad prairies and 
through the dense forests of the west, a scene occurred 
at a settlement about thirty miles north-east of Cincin- 
nati, which produced the most astonishing excitement 
throughout the whole surrounding country. There lived 
at this settlement a family by the name of Osborn, which 
consisted of the father, and mother, and two daughters, 
the elder of whom was about eleven years of age, and the 
younger about seven. In those days of backwoods life 
every member of the family was employed, from neces- 
sity, in farming pursuits, and almost as soon as a child 
was able to walk it was taught to engage in some employ- 
ment connected with rural life. "While the father was 
engaged in attending his small patch of corn, and the 
mother was attending her domestic concerns, of cooking, 
knitting, spinning, or weaving, the children would be 
employed, if sons, in assisting the father in the field or 
barn ; and if daughters, in helping the mother in domes- 
tic duties. 

It was usually the duty of the younger boys to hunt 
the cows, which were left to run in the woods, and some- 
times were difficult to find. As there were no boys in this 
family, it devolved upon the girls to search the ranges of 
the cattle, and drive home the cows. One afternoon in 
the latter part of summer, the little girls of the Osborn 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



225 



family started out on their accustomed pursuit. After 
finding the cows, which they were enabled to do by the 
tinkling of their bells, they started to drive them home. 
The elder girl, having become bewildered, supposed, from 
the direction the cows took, that they were going from 
instead of toward home. Fully impressed with this be- 
lief, she requested her little sister to stay where she 
was, and she would run and head them, and turn them 
in the right direction. But the cows, intent on going 
home, would not be diverted from their course. What 
to do she knew not; and fearing that her sister would be 
lost, she left the cattle, and started on hunt of her; but 
alas ! how did her young heart ache when, after wander- 
ing about for a long while, and crying out her name in 
the woods, she could not find her ! Sadly she started, 
without her sister, in the direction of home, as she sup- 
posed; but instead of this, the poor, bewildered child 
took an opposite direction from her father's cabin. The 
younger girl followed the sound of the cow-bells, and 
arrived safely at home; but Lydia — for that was her 
name — wandered on, and was lost in the wilderness. 

Night came on, casting : ts darkened shadows over the 
forest, but she came not to greet the anxious eyes of her 
parents, which were growing sorrowful and dim with 
watching. No time was to be lost; their child was in 
the woods, exposed to the savages and wild beasts. The 
neighborhood was roused with the alarm of "Lost child \ rj 
The cry became general, like the cry of fire at night in 
a country village. Every heart was touched, and soon, in 
every direction, torches were seen flashing their light 
into the darkness of the forest. Bells were rung, horns 
were blown, and guns were fired through the woods, if, 
perchance, the sound might reach the ear of the lost one. 
The whole night was spent in a fruitless search. The 
news flew in every direction, and reached the settlement 



226 



SKETCHES OP 



where we resided, and as many as could leave home 
turned out to seek for the lost child. This day was also 
spent in vain, though some signs of her tracks in cross- 
ing branches and miry places were discovered, all, how- 
ever, indicating that she was going farther into the wil- 
derness. On the third day the famous backwoodsman 
and hunter, Cornelius Washburn, arrived, with about five 
hundred others. Washburn was accompanied by his 
noted hunting-dog, of which it was said he would follow 
any scent his master would put him upon. At length 
the night of the third day arrived, but still no intelli- 
gence of the lost child. We were now deep in the wil- 
derness, and we all made preparations for camping out 
that night. After lighting our fires, and taking some 
refreshment, we retired to rest by lying down upon the 
ground by our camp-fires. At daybreak we were up 
again, and ready for our search ; but as the collection of 
people was so numerous, we concluded it was best to form 
ourselves into companies, and take different directions, 
and meet at night at a place designated, and report in 
relation to our discoveries. Money was collected and 
sent to the settlements to buy provisions, to be brought 
to the place of rendezvous. Every day we received ac- 
cessions to our numbers, so that on the seventh day it 
was supposed there were more than a thousand persons 
gathered from all parts of the country, and many from 
Kentucky. The seventh night was spent on the head 
waters of the East Fork of the Little Miami. Washburn 
reported that he had discovered where the little girl had 
slept for several nights. The place she had selected was 
where one tree had fallen across another, which was lying 
down, and afforded a good protection. He also saw 
where she had plucked and eaten some fox-grapes and 
whortleberries. To this place the whole crowd hurried. 
Nothing could have restrained them ; so eager were they 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



227 



to find the lost child, or some clue that would lead to her 
discovery. 

In all these journeyings the father was present, and so 
absorbed in grief at the loss of his dear Lydia, that he 
could neither eat nor sleep. Sorrow drank up his spirits, 
and he refused to be comforted. When hope was kin- 
dled in his heart that his child would be found, he 
seemed like one frantic, and flew in every direction, call- 
ing most piteously the name of his child ; but she was 
not there, her little feet had borne her to some othei 
quarter of the wildwood. It was agreed the next morn- 
ing that all the company should start out abreast, about 
three rods apart, with a man in the middle, and one at 
each end of the line, whose duty it was to blow horns at 
certain intervals for the purpose of keeping the line 
in order. It was an immense line, extending for several 
miles. Each man was instructed to examine carefully 
every branch and wet place, and every hollow log and 
thicket, to see if any traces of her were discoverable. 

Thus, day after day, and night after night, the search 
went on, till sixteen days were passed away in the fruit- 
less endeavor to find her. In the mean time, some of 
the company having lost all hope of finding her, returned 
home, but others came and filled their places, so that on 
no day were there less than one thousand persons on 
the search. On the fourteenth day, accompanied by two 
others, we took across to the North Fork of Whiteoak, 
and carefully searched the banks of that stream for 
miles. On the morning of the fifteenth day we found 
where she had crossed, by her footprints in the sand, at 
the water's edge. These footprints appeared to be fresh, 
and greatly revived our hopes. We were now distant 
from the main body of men several miles; and while one 
of our number was dispatched to communicate the intel- 
ligence, we proceeded to follow up a fork of the creek 



228 



SKETCHES OF 



which puts in just where her footprints were found 
Here there was an opening on the bottom land, where 
there was a large blackberry patch nearly a quarter of a 
mile in length. Near this patch we found a neat little 
house, built of sticks, nicely adjusted. It was covered 
with sticks, and over these were placed, in regular layers, 
pieces of moss taken from the logs and sides of trees in 
the neighborhood. The cracks were all neatly stopped 
with moss. In the center, on one side, was a little door, 
and in the interior was a bed made of leaves, covered with 
moss, and decorated with wild flowers. All could see at 
once that it was the work of a child; and we may have 
been childish while gazing upon it; for the tears stole 
freely down our cheeks. Here, away in the wilderness, 
far from human habitation, had this lost child constructed 
this miniature house, and thus recalled the scenes of home, 
and sister, and mother, and father. 

The child must have been here several days ; for, from 
her littJe house to the blackberry patch, she had beaten 
quite a path, and some parts of the patch were picked 
quite bare. "We imagined that we had at last found the 
place where the little wanderer had fixed her abode; but 
now that we had got in reach of the prize, how to take it 
was the question. To make a noise would frighten her 
away to some hiding-place where she could not be found; 
for children, when lost, become wild as the antelope in 
his native forest, and if caught will make every possible 
resistance, even looking upon their best friends as ene- 
mies. Supposing that she was not far off, and would 
return to her house, we removed to a short distance, where 
we would be unobserved, and sat down to wait her com- 
ing. But there were no signs of her returning, and fear- 
ing lest we might be discovered by the lost child, we 
stole softly under covert, from tree to tree, and cleared 
the opening. Ascending an eminence, where we had a 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



229 



full view of the blackberry patch, we carefully scanned 
every part of it, and were satisfied that she was not 
there. Returning again, and making a more thorough 
examination, we could discover no fresh signs of her 
presence, and we concluded to return to the main creek, 
and wait for the company, and prevent, if possible, the 
press of the eager crowd from rushing on and destroying 
what signs might yet remain undiscovered. It is said 
that there were more than a thousand men encamped 
along the creek that night. The encampment extended 
for half a mile. 

Fearing the consequences of making a disclosure of 
what we had seen at the blackberry patch, we kept it a 
secret till morning, and then taking aside the best woods- 
men in the company, we led them to the house of the 
child. We then returned and formed the whole company 
into military order, and marched them out into the open- 
ing, where, flanking out right and left, they surrounded 
the entire space, and formed a hollow square. At the 
sight of the little cabin a scene occurred which it would 
be impossible to describe. Here were brave, stalwart 
men, who had been subjected to the perils of the wilder- 
ness, contending for every inch with savages and wild 
beasts, whose hearts were never known to quail with fear, 
who, at sight of that little cabin, were melted into tears. 
Some, as if deeming it unmanly to weep, or to be seen 
manifesting so much human sympathy, turned aside, 
while others left the ranks to give vent to their feelings 
in solitude. But when the father came up to the little 
dwelling his own dear child had built for herself, and 
exclaimed, " 0, Lydia, Lydia, my dear child, are you yet 
alive !" a thousand hearts broke forth in uncontrollable 
grief. 

The result of the investigation made by the hunters 
was, that the signs were three or four days old. Horse- 



230 



SKETCHES OF 



tracks were also found in the grass, supposed to be about 
the same age. The conjecture was, that she had been 
discovered and taken away by some hunters, or a party 
of Indians. It was agreed, however, to make another 
effort. The company was divided, and sent out in differ- 
ent directions, to see if any further signs could be found 
of hunters or Indians. Two miles from " Lydia's 
camp " — for so it is called to this day — her bonnet was 
found hanging on a bush, and eight or ten miles further 
off, an Indian camp was discovered, supposed to have 
been vacated for five or six days. The conclusion was 
that the child had been carried off by the Indians, none 
knew where. Further pursuit being considered useless, 
the company disbanded, and returned to their homes. 
Not so, however, with the father. The love of his child 
was to him sweeter than life. He never gave up the 
search, but penetrated the wildest solitudes, and sought 
for her among the Indians till the day of nis death. 
The lost was never found. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



231 



CHAPTER XYI. 

JAMES AXLEY. 

The following graphic and stirring sketch of the Rev. 
James Axley, the eccentric preacher, has been jnndly 
furnished for us by the Rev. Thomas A. Morris, D. D., 
Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It consists 
mostly of personal reminiscences of that remarkable 
man, and such, indeed, in a majority of instances, is all 
that we can gather of the fathers of Methodism in the 
west. So far as a connected biography is concerned the 
most that we can find is the bare announcement, on the 
Minutes of the various fields of labor, occupied by the 
preachers from year to year, and then, at the close of 
their earthly labors, a short obituary, embracing but a 
meager outline of their life and labors, and the circum- 
stances connected with their death. But even this is 
denied the toil-worn soldier, should he be found in the 
local ranks, when death calls to take him home. 

"In 1804 the Western conference was reinforced by a 
class of young men, some of whom became very distin- 
guished Methodist preachers — among them were Samuel 
Parker, Peter Cartwright, and James Axley. With the 
last-named I never enjoyed but one week's personal ac- 
quaintance, but that left on my memory an indelible 
impression of his person and character, of which this 
pen-portrait is but an imperfect reflection. He had min- 
gled with scenes of excitement, toil, and peril, well cal- 
culated to develop his physical and mental energies. 



232 



SKETCHES OF 



Among his early fields of labor were Red river, Hock- 
hocking, French Broad, Opelousas, and Powel's Valley. 
Subsequently he labored on Wabash, Holston, Green 
River, and French Broad districts as presiding elder. 
These widely-separated points in the Lord's vineyard, 
all included in the old Western conference, indicate that 
he had a pretty thorough breaking into the Gospel har- 
ness after the manner of our fathers, in the days of 
Bishop Asbury, when itinerancy was what its name 
imports. 

"Long as I had been crossing the path of that notable 
man, and much as I had heard of him among the people, 
my first sight of him was not obtained till the autumn of 
1837. That year the Holston conference met at Madi- 
sonville, eastern part of Tennessee, some ten miles from 
which brother Axley, then in a local relation, resided. 
The first day of the session after adjournment I was 
walking to my lodgings alone, when I heard a brother 
some forty steps behind me say to another, ( Yonder 
comes brother Axley.' Looking ahead, I observed a 
man advancing toward me whose person was imposing. 
He was perhaps five feet eight inches high; not corpu- 
lent, but very broad and compactly built, formed for 
strength; his step was firm, his face was square, com- 
plexion dark, eyebrows heavy, appearance rugged; 
dressed in the costume of our fathers, with straight- 
breasted coat, and broad-brimmed hat projecting over a 
sedate countenance. His wide-spread fame as a natural 
genius without any early education, and especially the 
numerous incidents I had heard of him as a western 
pioneer, had excited in me a greater desire for his per- 
sonal acquaintance than that of any other living man I 
had ever seen, except Jacob Gruber. The sound of his 
name falling on my ear involuntarily quickened my pace, 
and we were soon together. As I neared him I held out 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



233 



my right hand and received his, when the following 
salutations were exchanged: 

u ' How are you, brother Axley?' 

" ' Who are you?' 

" ' My name is Thomas A. Morris/ 

"Then surveying me from head to foot, he replied, 
i Upon my word, I think they were hard pushed for 
Bishop-timber when they got hold of you/ 

" 'That is just what I thought myself, brother Axley/ 

u 'Why, you look too young for a Bishop.' 

" ( As to that, I am old enough to know more and do 
better/ 

" Turning back with me, we walked to our lodging, 
being both quartered at the same place. Every hour 
that I could redeem from conference and council busi- 
ness was enlivened by his quaint but thrilling narratives 
of his early travels, labors, and difficulties. Unaccus- 
tomed to the free use of the pen, he kept all his records 
in his tenacious memory, much strengthened by use, and 
narrated with uncommon precision as to names, dates, 
and the order in which facts transpired. This he did 
leisurely and with perfect self-possession, but spiced the 
whole with such apt remarks and consummate good- 
humor that the attention of the company never faltered. 
Never was I better entertained or more instructed with 
the conversation of a fellow-sojourner in one week than 
with his. It was decidedly rich. 

"Next morning I observed him seated near the door, 
remote from the business platform, and invited him for- 
ward to conduct the opening religious service of the con 
ference. Then it was that some of his peculiarities were 
practically developed to me for the first time. !Jia read- 
ing and prayer were brief and simple, yet quite impress- 
ive; but his singing took me entirely by surprise. He 
used no hymn-book, gave out no lines, but led off on a 
20 



234 



SKETCHES OF 



familiar hymn and tune in strains so exhilarating and 
devotional that both appeared to be new and superex- 
cellent. Whether he had ever paid any special attention 
to tune-books is doubtful, as he was proverbial for his 
opposition to choir-singing. However that may have 
been, his voice embodied in itself more strength, more 
volume, more melody, and certainly more devotional 
influence, than that of an ordinary church-choir of a 
dozen select singers. He was invited to a seat on the 
platform. 

u After the journal was read, an unimportant resolution 
was offered, over which there was a little sharp shooting 
by speech-makers. Our guest, though opposed to the 
motion, did not interfere in the discussion. The breth- 
ren, having fired their minute guns, came to a -vote, 
expressed in the usual way by raising their hands : two 
hands were plainly visible, and another was partly ele- 
vated and then suddenly drawn down. Before the Chair 
had time to announce the decision, brother Axley vocif- 
erated, in a very quaint manner, ' Just two votes and a 
half for that!' The effect upon the risibles of the body- 
ecclesiastic was electrical; the gravest of the fathers 
were convulsed with laughter. Only the author of it 
seemed to be self-possessed. 

" There were points of singular contrast in his char- 
acter. His exterior was rough as a block of granite fresh 
from the quarry, and his manner of reproving disorderly 
persons at popular meetings over which he presided was 
said to indicate severity; yet his conscience was so ten- 
der and his moral sensibility so acute, that a mere sug 
gestion from a friend that he had erred in any given case 
would draw from him prompt acknowledgment with a 
shower of tears. His dress and address indicated the 
rustic, probably perpetuated by the force of early habit ; 
and yet in social intercourse he was both kind and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



235 



attractive. His conversational talent was of a superior 
order Without classical learning or much pretension to 
book knowledge, he was such a master in practical, every- 
day affairs that he could not only delight, but instruct 
sages and divines. He could so present even a common- 
place topic as to throw interest around it, and by his 
musical powers he conquered some who could be reached 
by no other means. I was informed that individuals who 
were at first his enemies and persecutors because of his 
profession as a Methodist preacher, on hearing him sing, 
became his warm friends; and I do not doubt it. Indeed, 
he told me of himself an instance in which he was relieved 
from great embarrassment by singing, without saying any 
thing as to the merit of the performance. It occurred 
while he was laboring on the Opelousas mission, in Lou- 
isiana, perhaps about the year 1807 or 1808. In order 
to supply some destitute neighborhoods with the Gospel 
by enlarging his mission, he went on a tour of explora- 
tion where he was a stranger to all. Some of his adven- 
tures during that expedition would, by the ministers of 
this generation, be regarded as specimens of moral hero- 
ism. But omitting other incidents, I shall refer only to 
the point in hand. One evening, after riding all day 
without any dinner, he called at a house where the fam 
ily consisted of a widow lady, a grown daughter, a num- 
ber of children, and some servants, none of whom were 
religious. The lady and her family regretted his coming, 
would not grant his request to remain over night, and 
clearly indicated, by looks and actions, that he was an 
unwelcome guest. The reader may ask why he did not 
leave immediately. The reason was, he knew, if de- 
feated in obtaining lodging there, nothing remained for 
him but a berth in the dark wood, without food or shel- 
ter, at an inclement season of the year. As he lingered 
a little to warm himself and consider how he should 



236 



SKETCHES OF 



manage to pass that dreary night, the thought of his for- 
lorn condition as a homeless stranger, without money or 
friends, came like a dark cloud over his mind. His deep, 
sad cogitations proceeded in silence. Then, as was natu- 
ral in his extremity, he turned his thoughts toward his 
heavenly Father's house above, where he hoped some day 
to find a home free from the ills of mortal life. Being a 
little cheered with the prospect, without leave, introduc- 
tion, or ceremony, he began to sing one of the songs of 
Zion in a strange land. As he proceeded his depressed 
feelings became elevated; the vision of faith ranged 
above and beyond the desolate wilderness he had just 
been contemplating as the place of his night's sojourn; 
the family were soon all melted into tears; he took fresh 
courage, and sang on with the least possible pause, till he 
had finished, perhaps, the third song, when the lady 
called a servant, and ordered him to put the gentleman's 
horse in the stable; and the daughter added, 'Be sure to 
feed him well.' Thus a few strains of sacred melody, 
such as Axley could wield, removed all opposition and 
relieved the case. 

"Brother Axley made every important interest of life a 
subject of prayer, as all Christian people should. Toward 
the close of our week's interview he incidentally alluded 
to his courtship and marriage, which occurred, I believe, 
after he had been a minister some years. He opened his 
mind to his intended by letter, inclosed in another letter 
to her brother, with whom she resided. To the brother 
he wrote, if he had any objection to the correspondence 
with his sister, to burn it, and that would end the matter. 
The letter, however, was delivered into her hand, contain- 
ing a proposition of marriage, and a notice that he would 
be there on a given day to receive the answer. On the 
day appointed he came, obtained an interview, and opened 
the cause by stating he wished to talk over the subject 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



237 



alluded to in his letter; 'but, first of all/ said he, 'we 
must pray for direction/ They kneeled together, and he 
led in prayer. After prayer ho wished to know whether 
she consented to the proposed union. She thought it 
would not he amiss for her to have longer time in which 
to decide ; hut he deemed that needless, as they were 
well acquainted, and insisted on a present and direct 
answer. The result was marriage. 

"He was proverbial for his opposition to slavery and 
whisky. After he located he supported his family by the 
labor of his own hands as a farmer, and was wont to tes- 
tify, on all proper occasions, that his logs were rolled, his 
house raised, and his grain cut without whisky; and 
though he had plentiful crops of corn, not the first track 
of a negro's foot was ever seen in one of his fields. Such 
was his version of facts, as I learned from some of his 
friends. 

" I never heard brother Axley preach ; but, according to 
popular fame, his pulpit performances were practical, 
forcible, and left a deep and abiding impression on the 
multitudes that thronged together to hear him. To this 
day we occasionally hear allusion made to a sermon he 
preached in the city of Baltimore, during the General 
conference of 1820, of which he was a member. It must 
have been a potent sermon to be remembered so dis- 
tinctly for the third of a century. I have heard also 
very frequent allusions to his pulpit performances in dif- 
ferent parts of the western country, where he had opera- 
ted to good purpose as a traveling preacher, more par- 
ticularly in Kentucky and Tennessee. But perhaps the 
effort which occasioned the most talk and obtained the 
greatest notoriety was the one said to have been made in 
his own section of country, and was commonly known as 
Axley's temperance sermon, though not so designated by 
any preannoun cement. It should be known that east 



SKETCHES OF 



Tennessee in those days was regarded as a great country 
for producing peach-brandy, and for a free use of it; also, 
that the New Lights abounded there, familiarly called 
Schismatics, and that Church members who rendered 
themselves liable to a disciplinary process would occasion- 
ally go over to them, as a city of refuge, where they felt 
safe from its restraints. With this preliminary, I pro- 
ceed to recite a passage from the sermon, reminding the 
reader that my authority is not personal knowledge, but 
the verbal statement of a highly-respectable Methodist 
minister, Kev. Dr. Gr., of Tennessee. I write it substan- 
tially as I heard it: 

"Text : 'Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil : 
the Lord reward him according to his works/ 2 Timothy 
iv, 14. 

"Paul was a traveling preacher, and a bishop, I presume, 
or a presiding elder at least; for he traveled extensively, 
and had much to do, not only in regulating the societies, 
but also in sending the preachers here, there, and yonder. 
He was zealous, laborious, would not build on another 
man's foundation, but formed new circuits, where Christ 
was not named, 'so that from Jerusalem, and round 
about unto Illyricum, he had fully preached the Gospel 
of Christ/ One new place that he visited was very 
wicked — Sabbath-breaking, dancing, drinking, quarrel- 
ing, fighting, swearing, etc., abounded; but the word of 
the Lord took effect; there was a powerful stir among 
the people, and many precious souls were converted. 
Among the subjects of that work there was a certain 
noted character, Alexander by name, and a still-maker by 
trade; also, one Hymeneus, who was his partner in the 
business. Paul formed a new society, and appointed 
brother Alexander class-leader. There was a great change 
in the place; the people left off their drinking, swearing, 
fighting, horse-racing, dancing, and all their wicked 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



239 



practices. The stills were worked up into bells and stew- 
kettles, and thus applied to useful purposes. The settle- 
ment was orderly, the meetings were prosperous, and 
things went well among them for some time. But one 
year they had a pleasant spring; there was no late frost, 
and the peach crop hit exactly. I do suppose, my breth- 
ren, that such a crop of peaches was never known before. 
The old folks ate all they could eat, the children ate all 
they could eat, the pigs ate all they could eat, and the sis- 
ters preserved all they could preserve, and still the limbs 
of the trees were bending and breaking. One Sunday, 
when the brethren met for worship, they gathered round 
outside of the meeting-house, and got to talking about 
their worldly business — as you know people sometimes do, 
and it is a mighty bad practice — and one said to another, 
( Brother, how is the peach crop with you this year V ' 0/ 
said he, 'you never saw the like; they are rotting on the 
ground under the trees; I don't know what to do with 
them/ ' How would it do/ said one, 'to still them ? The 
peaches will go to waste, but the brandy will keep; and 
it is very good in certain cases, if not used to excess/ 
'I should like to know/ said a cute brother, 'how you 
could make brandy without stills? 7 'That's nothing/ 
replied one, 'for our class-leader — brother Alexander — 
is as good a still-maker as need be, and brother Hyme- 
neus is another, and, rather than see the fruit wasted, no 
doubt they would make us a few/ The next thing heard 
on the subject was a hammering in the class-leader's 
shop j and soon the stills in every brother's orchard were 
smoking, and the liquid poison streaming. When one 
called on another the bottle was brought out, with the 
remark, 'I want you to taste my new brandy; I think 
it is pretty good/ The guest, after tasting once, was 
urged to repeat, when, smacking his lips, he would re- 
ply, 'Well, it's tolerable; but I wish you would come 



240 SKETCHES OF 

over and taste mine; I think mine is a little better.' Sa 
they tasted and tasted till many of them got about half 
drunk, and I don't know but three-quarters. Then the 
very devil was raised among them ; the society was all in 
an uproar, and Paul was sent for to come and settle the 
difficulty. At first it was difficult to find sober, disinter- 
ested ones enough to try the guilty; but finally he got 
his committee formed; and the first one he brought to 
account was Alexander, who pleaded not guilty. He de- 
clared that he had not tasted, bought, sold, or distilled a 
drop of brandy. 'But/ said Paul, 'you made the stills, 
otherwise there could have been no liquor made ; and if 
no liquor, no one could have been intoxicated/ So they 
expelled him first, then Hymeneus next, and went on for 
compliment, till the society was relieved of all still-mak- 
ers, distillers, dram-sellers, and dram-drinkers, and peace 
was once more restored. Paul says, 'Holding faith and a 
good conscience; which some having put away, concerning 
faith have made shipwreck ; of whom is Hymeneus and 
Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they 
may learn not to blaspheme/ 

"Of course they flew off the handle, and joined the 
Schismatics. 

"Now, in view of the peculiar structure of brother 
Axley's mind, and his characteristic habits of thought 
and expression, they who were best acquainted with him 
will be most likely to admit that the above outline may 
be substantially correct. I was anxious to have learned 
more items of the history of that good man ; but at my 
next visit to Holston conference, in 1840, I had left me 
only the mournful pleasure of visiting his grave, in a 
rural cemetery, which, at that time, was without inscrip- 
tion or inclosure. If some one of our senior brethren, 
better acquainted with the subject of this brief notice 
than the writer, would favor the public with a reliable 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



241 



biography, and thereby rescue the name of James Axley 
from oblivion, he would confer a lasting benefit on the 
Church and the numerous friends of the deceased. 
Whatever is to be rescued from oblivion concerning the 
early pioneers of Methodism must be soon done." 

To the personal reminiscences of the Bishop might be 
added others by those who knew Axley, and were privi- 
leged to wait on his ministry. In the autobiography 
of Samuel Williams, Esq., we find the following : 

"The name of James Axley was rendered familiar to 
us by being carved by himself, during the sitting of the 
conference of 1807, on the back of the seat in front of 
the one in which we usually sat in the little, old brick 
chapel. Our recollection of his person is rather indis- 
tinct ; but we think he was tall and raw-boned, and a lit- 
tle awkward in his manners and movements. In the 
matter and delivery of his discourses there was a marked 
originality, a vein of humor, and even drollery, which, 
while it interested and frequently amused his hearers, 
often gave severe point and directness to his rebukes. 
He was, nevertheless, a preacher of very respectable tal- 
ents and undoubted piety. And if he was not a 1 polished 
shaft ' in the quiver of the Almighty, yet the arrow was 
none the less sharp and keen. We have heard many an- 
ecdotes of his sayings and doings. The following, re- 
lated to us about thirty years ago by the Rev. John 
Collins, we give the reader as a specimen : 

"In one of his discourses Mr. Axley was descanting 
upon conformity to the world among Christians, particu- 
larly in fashionable dress and manners. To meet the 
pleas and excuses usually set up in behalf of these depart- 
ures from the good old way, he held a sort of colloquy 
with an imaginary apologist, seated at the further end of 
the congregation, whose supposed pleas and excuses he 
would state on behalf of his man of straw ; in an altered 
21 



242 



SKETCHES OF 



tone ; then resuming his natural voice, he would repl} 
and demolish the arguments of his opponent. After 
thus discussing the subject for some time, the opponent 
was made to say. 

"'But, sir, some of your Methodist preachers them 
selves dress in fashionable style, and in air and manne 
enact the dandy/ 

"'0 no, my friend, that can not be. Methodis 
preachers know their calling better. They are men of 
more sense than that, and would not stoop so low as to 
disgrace themselves and the sacred office they hold by 
such gross inconsistency of character/ 

"'"Well, sir, if you won't take my word for >t y just 
look at those young preachers in the pulpit, behind you.' 

" Mr. Axley, turning immediately around, with seem- 
ing surprise, and facing two or three rather fashionably- 
dressed junior preachers seated in the rear of the pulpit, 
he surveyed each of them from head to foot for two or 
three minutes, while they quailed under the withering 
glance of his keen and penetrating eye ; then turning 
again to the congregation, and leaning a little forward 
over the front of the desk, with his arm extended, and 
his eyes as if fixed on the apologist at the further end of 
the church, he said, in a subdued tone, yet distinctly 
enough to be heard by all present, 

" ' If you please, sir, we'll drop the subject!' 

"Although the following additional anecdote of Mr. 
Axley may . be familiar to many of our readers, we hope 
they will pardon us for inserting it, as it is worthy of a 
more durable record than the columns of a newspaper, 
from which we clip it. The late Judge Hugh L. White, 
who relates it, was a learned and able jurist and distin- 
guished statesman, and for many years a conspicuous 
member of the United States senate from the state of 
Tennessee. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



243 



<c On a certain day a number of lawyers and literary 
men were together in the town of Knoxville, Tennessee, 
and the conversation turned on preachers and preaching. 
One and another had expressed his opinion of the per- 
formances of this and that pulpit orator, when at length 
Judge White spoke up: 

" ' Well, gentlemen, on this subject each man is, of 
course, entitled to his own opinion ; but I must confess 
that father Axley brought me to a sense of my evil 
deeds, at least a portion of them, more effectually than 
any preacher I ever heard/ 

a At this, every eye and ear was turned, for Judge 
White was never known to speak lightly on religious sub- 
jects, and, moreover, was habitually cautious and respect- 
ful in his remarks about religious men. The company 
now expressed the most urgent desire that the Judge 
should give the particulars, and expectation stood on 
tiptoe. 

"'I went up/ said the Judge, 'one evening to the 
Methodist church. A sermon was preached by a clergy- 
man with whom I was not acquainted, but father Axley 
was in the pulpit. At the close of the sermon he arose 
and said to the congregation, "I am not going to detain 
you by delivering an exhortation ; I have risen merely to 
administer a rebuke for improper conduct, which I have 
observed here to-night." This, of course, waked up the 
entire assembly, and the stillness was profound, while 
Axley stood and looked for several seconds over the con- 
gregation. Then stretching out his large, long arm, and 
pointing with his finger steadily in one direction, he said, 
"Now, I calculate that those two young men, who were 
talking in that corner of the house while the brother was 
preaching, think that I am going to talk about them. 
Well, it is true, it looks very bad, when well-dressed 
young men, who you would suppose, from their appear* 



244 



SKETCHES OF 



ance, belonged to some respectable family, come to the 
house of G-od, and instead of reverencing the majesty of 
Him that dwelleth therein, or attending to the message 
of his everlasting love, get together in one corner of the 
house " — his finger all the time pointing as steady and 
straight as the aim of a rifleman — "and there, during 
the whole solemn service, keep talking, tittering, laugh- 
ing, and giggling, thus annoying the minister, disturbing 
the congregation, and sinning against Grod. I'm sorry 
for the young men. I'm sorry for their parents. I'm 
sorry they have done so to-night. I hope they will never 
do so again. But, however, that's not the thing I was 
going to talk about. It is another matter, so important 
that I thought it would be wrong to suffer the congrega- 
tion to depart without administering a suitable rebuke. 
Now/' said he, stretching out his huge arm, and pointing 
in another direction, " perhaps that man who was asleep 
on the bench out there, while the brother was preaching, 
thinks I am going to talk about him. Well, I must con- 
fess it looks very bad for a man to come into a worship- 
ing assembly, and, instead of taking a seat like others, 
and listening to the blessed Grospel, carelessly stretching 
himself out on a bench, and going to sleep. It is not 
only a proof of great insensibility with regard to the ob- 
ligations which we owe to our Creator and Redeemer, but 
it shows a want of genteel breeding. It shows that the 
poor man has been so unfortunate in his bringing up as 
not to have been taught good manners. He don't know 
what is polite and respectful in a worshiping assembly 
among whom he comes to mingle. I'm sorry for the poor 
man. I'm sorry for the family to which he belongs. I'm 
sorry he did not know better. I hope he will never do 
so again. But, however, this was not what I was going 
to talk about." Thus father Axley went on, for some 
time, " boxing the compass," hitting a number of persons 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



245 



and things that he was not going to talk about, and hit- 
ting hard, till the attention and curiosity of the audience 
were raised to their highest pitch, when finally he re- 
marked : 

a c "The thing of which I was going to talk was thawing 
tobacco. Now, I do hope, when any gentleman comes to 
church who can't keep from using tobacco during the 
hours of worship, that he will just take his hat and use 
it for a spit-box. You all know we are Methodists. You 
all know that our custom is to kneel when we pray. Now, 
any gentleman may see, in a moment, how exceedingly 
inconvenient it must be for a well-dressed Methodist lady 
to be compelled to kneel down in a puddle of tobacco 
spit/' 

"'Now,' said Judge White, 'at this time I had in my 
mouth an uncommonly large quid of tobacco. Axley's 
singular manner and train of remark strongly arrested 
my attention. While he was stirring to the right and 
left, hitting those "things" that he was not going to 
talk about, my curiosity was busy to find out what he 
could be aiming at. I was chewing and spitting my large 
quid with uncommon rapidity, and looking up at the 
preacher to catch every word and every gesture — when at 
last he pounced upon the tobacco, behold, there I had a 
great puddle of tobacco spit ! I quietly slipped the quid 
out of my mouth, and dashed it as far as I could under 
the seats, resolved never again to be found chewing to- 
bacco in the Methodist church.' " 

Axley must have been a thorough student of human 
nature, as was generally the case with the Methodist 
preachers of that day. Men whose profession calls them 
to travel in all sections of the country, and mingle with 
all classes of society, as Methodist preachers have to do, 
must be dull students and stupid observers of men and 
things, if they don't become thoroughly acquainted with 



246 



SKETCHES OF 



men's hearts and lives. What the eccentric Axley 
learned in the wide field of labor before him he put to 
good account, and thus gave evidence that he was not like 
the sage of olden time, who mingled with the world only 
to learn its follies and then retired to his cell alone to 
weep over them. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



247 



CHAPTER XVII. 

JOSEPH OGLESBY 

In sketching the life of this pioneer preacher, who, for 
fifty years, toiled in the wilds of the west; the first her- 
ald of the cross that ever penetrated the wilderness of 
Illinois and preached the Gospel to its scattered inhabit- 
ants, we are at a loss for materials respecting his early 
life and conversion. "We find his name on the general 
Minutes as a probationer in the year 1804, when, as we 
have already seen, he traveled the Miami circuit with the 
Rev. John Sale. The Minutes show the work on the 
Ohio district as follows: W. Burke, presiding elder; 
Muskingum, G-eorge Askin; Hockhocking, James Quinn, 
John Meek; Scioto, William Pattison, Nathan Barnes; 
Miami, John Sale, Joseph Oglesby; Guyandotte, Asa 
Shinn. 

In the year following he was sent into the wilderness 
in the then distant Illinois, almost beyond the reach of 
the white population. Having preceded Jesse Walker, a 
most interesting sketch of whose labors, in that distant 
region, is given by Bishop Morris in his "Miscellany," 
the reader has only to refer to that work to see what 
must have been the toils and hardships of Oglesby in 
planting Methodism among the semi-civilized inhabit- 
ants. The next year he was sent to Barren circuit, in 
the Cumberland district; in the year following to Shelby, 
in the Kentucky district. In 1808 he was sent to Nash- 
ville circuit, with David Young for his colleague, and the 
succeeding year to Maramack, in Indiana. At the close 



248 



SKETCHES OF 



of this year he located. How long he remained in a 
local relation to the Church we are not able to say ex- 
actly. In the mean time he was engaged as a practitioner 
of medicine, in which profession, we are informed, he 
was quite successful. His zeal and industry were great, 
both as it regarded his professional engagements in the 
healing art, and his duties as a preacher, being ready at 
all times to do good to the bodies and the souls of men, 

In the year 1849 we find his name on the effective list 
in the Indiana conference. That year he was stationed 
on the Martinsville circuit. The next year his name 
stands on the Minutes among the superannuated preach- 
ers, and the presumption is that his. age and feebleness 
were such as to disqualify him from doing fully the work 
of an itinerant, and rather than be in the way of an 
effective man he would not insist on being regarded as 
fully adequate for the work when he was not. The year 
1851 also finds him among the superannuated. Still he 
traveled extensively, and labored whenever opportunity 
presented; and frequently his pulpit ministrations were 
characterized with the pathos and power of a former day. 
In the Minutes of 1852, in answer to the question of the 
South-Eastern Indiana conference, "Who have died this 
year?" the name of Joseph Oglesby stands among the 
number. The following is the conference memoir, and 
though short, like the memoirs of the deceased preach- 
ers as found in the early Minutes, still it is expressive of 
his character and labors as a minister of the Lord Jesus, 
and serves to show the estimate put upon him as a 
member of the conference : 

"Rev. Joseph Oglesby. — This venerable servant of 
G-od departed this life April 9, 1852, in the city of Lou- 
isville. 

¥ We regret that the residence of his family, beyond 
the bounds of this conference, has prevented us from 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



249 



obtaining materials for as full a report as his meritorious 
life demands. But what needs it? His 'witness is in 
heaven — his record is on high/ There dwell many seals 
to his ministry, and there rests his happy spirit. 

" He was a pioneer Methodist minister. Nearly fifty 
years ago he began his arduous toils. Ohio, Kentucky, 
Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, he traversed, preaching 
every- where the ' Grospel of the kingdom ' — * the word of 
this salvation.' No history of Methodism in the vast 
Mississippi Valley can be complete which does not speak 
largely of the labors of Joseph Oglesby. Much of it 
'he was/ 

"In the days of his strength he stood among the strong 
men of Methodism. 'He was an able minister of the 
New Testament/ As old age pressed upon him his zeal 
did not abate. He continued in his superannuated days 
to preach Jesus, almost every Sabbath, and often through 
the week. 

" The last Sabbath before his short and fatal illness, 
he preached with great power from '0 that thou hadst 
hearkened to my commandments; then had thy peaco 
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of 
the sea/ 

" He died with his armor on, and fell in sight of glory. 
Many shall rise up and call him blessed/' 



250 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

WILLIAM BEAUCHAMP. 

Among the bright stars which shone in the galaxy of 
Methodism in the close of the eighteenth century, was 
the Rev. William Beauchamp. After filling several im- 
portant stations, such as Pittsburg, New York, Boston, 
etc., he removed to the west, and settled on the Little 
Kanawha, in Western Virginia. Having, in early life, 
received a good English and classical education, he de- 
voted himself, in his local sphere, to literary pursuits. 
With but few exceptions, there were not many literary 
men in the itinerant ranks in those days. Those were 
called, as a general thing, into the ministry, who be- 
longed, like the early founders of Christianity, to the 
toiling classes of community. They were taken from the 
plow, the loom, the bench, and the anvil, and, with the 
broad seal of heaven's commission written on their hearts, 
they went forth to draw from their own experience, and 
the un commented word of God, those soul-saving truths 
which brought the sinner to the dust, and raised the 
fallen to the blessings of pardon and salvation. 

Still, as it was in the days of the apostles and the Ref- 
ormation, there were some who were distinguished for 
profound literary attainments, and of this number was 
William Beauchamp. In the wilds of Virginia, removed 
from the toil of itinerant life, in which he had worn 
himself down, he passed his time in the congenial pur- 
suits of a literary life, while his Sabbaths were occupied 
in preaching the Grospel to the scattered inhabitants in 
all the region round about. As the fruit of his literary 



WESTERN METHODISM . 



251 



toils, lie published "Essays," in Marietta, in the year 
1811, "on the Truth of the Christian Religion, or Evi- 
dences of Christianity." This work was written in a 
graceful, flowing style, and would do honor to the head 
and heart of any man. It gave evidence of genius and 
piety of a high degree, and was extensively read and 
deservedly popular. His production gained him a name 
as a writer in the west, and it was not long till his serv- 
ices were required as an editor of a religious periodical. 
A correspondence was opened between him and the Rev. 
Thomas S. Hinde, of Chillicothe, on this subject, an 
account of which, together with other circumstances, 
furnished by the latter, we will give in his own words : 
" The writer of this memoir, with a number of his re- 
ligious friends and acquaintances, had long lamented the 
prevalency of Arian and Pelagian doctrines, with which 
the Methodist societies at this time, in places, were much 
infested. The Rev. Samuel Parker, in 1811, 1812, and 
1813, had traveled through the interior of Ohio. The 
distinguished talents of this minister of grace, connected 
with the sweet temper and disposition of the man, had 
enabled him to wield the scepter of the Gospel with such 
signal success that those doctrines, wherever he went, 
received a fatal blow ; to make the victory full and com- 
plete, a periodical publication was thought to be abso- 
lutely necessary; through which medium the doctrines 
of the Church might be disseminated. Our Methodist 
Magazine had long since been discontinued, and no dis- 
position appeared to be manifested to revive it. These 
circumstances had induced the writer, upon his own re- 
sponsibility, to issue a prospectus for a periodical relig- 
ious publication, to be published in Chillicothe, which was 
designed to batter down those absurd notions, so preva- 
lent at this period. Brother Beauchamp was solicited to 
undertake it, and this, connected perhaps with other 



252 



SKETCHES OF 



circumstances, induced him to remove to Chillicothe, 
Ohio, some time in the year 1815. The year following — 
1816 — that excellent periodical work, 'The Western 
Christian Monitor/ was published monthly. Publica- 
tions of this kind had sprung up in various parts of the 
United States, and the name of this forestalled; so that 
'Western' was added by way of distinction. In this 
publication brother Beauchamp was aided by the writer 
of this memoir, but more by compilations and selections 
than in original matter; and at his request brother Beau- 
champ wrote a short commentary on the articles of relig- 
ion of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was pub- 
lished in numbers. The Monitor was extensively 
circulated, has done much good, and the bound volumes 
are now, and always will be, a valuable acquisition to any 
library. The infant state of the western country, the 
difficulties attending the distribution of the work, and, 
worse than all, the very ill state of brother Beauchamp' s 
health at this time, all tended greatly to discourage him 
in the prosecution of it; and from these and other cir- 
cumstances, which it is now needless to mention, at the 
end of the first year it was wholly discontinued. 

" While brother Beauchamp resided in Chillicothe, he 
became extensively known, and to the Church in that 
place very useful; his persuasive eloquence and his solid 
piety gained him many friends both among professors 
and non-professors, who were so generally impressed with 
a sense of his real worth, that his name is now, and will 
long be had in remembrance; and but little doubt is 
entertained that his labors in this place paved the way 
for that great and glorious revival of religion, which 
commenced soon after he left it to remove to Mount Car- 
mel, in Illinois. 

"Those lucid intervals during the ministry of the 
writer's friends, Mr. Samuel Parker and Mr. William 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



253 



I cauchamp — the one immediately succeeding the other 
in Chillicothe — in his associations with them around the 
country in different places, at various meetings, he now 
retrospects as the happiest period of his life ! The 
tremulous motions of the late calamitous war had sub- 
sided, peace reigned, the Gospel spread most astonish- 
ingly; and it was his delight to hear, at one time, Parker 
as the Cicero, and at another Beauchamp as the Demos- 
thenes, of the Church in the west. Pleasing, yet 
melancholy thought ! their race is run, and these two 
ministers of the Church have left us to mourn for our- 
selves! One slumbers in the valley of the Mississippi, 
the other sweetly — for the present — reposes on the Rights 
of Peoli, in Indiana ! 

' Thus the men 
Whom nature's works instruct, with God himself 
Hold converse ; grow familiar ; act upon his plan ; 
And form to his the relish of their souls !' " 

We have already seen that the subject of our narrative 
bad closed bis editorial labors and removed to Mount 
Carmel, Illinois. Having undertaken the agency of the 
new settlement, where a society was to be formed on the 
principle of elective affinity, he commenced the work of 
surveying the land, laying off the squares and streets, 
and public places of the town. The lands belonging to 
the company were exceedingly fertile, and the induce- 
ments offered were such that in a short time large num- 
bers sought this El Dorado of the west. All was a wil- 
derness, but active preparations were made for clearing 
and building. On the holy Sabbath the sound of a trum- 
pet would bring the people together, and the eloquent 
Beauchamp would charm his listening auditors with the 
Gospel of Jesus. And they were a highly-favored con- 
gregation; for no preacher in the splendid churches of 
the large cities could discourse more eloquently. On 



254 



SKETCHES OF 



winter evenings he would collect together the youth of 
the neighborhood and instruct them in the -various 
branches of a solid education. His information was ex- 
tensive and general, embracing all the useful departments 
of knowledge, and his services were sought on almost 
every subject involving the different professions, as well 
as the mechanic arts. He labored to make himself use- 
ful in all the departments of life, and his chief aim 
seemed to be to advance the happiness of all. Added to 
all, his services were gratuitous, and none could complain 
of exorbitant professional fees when his opinion or serv- 
ices were required. He literally preached and toiled for 
nothing, finding himself. 

We once knew a preacher who was sent to a poor cir- 
cuit in Ohio, where, at the first quarterly meeting, there 
was not money enough raised from all the classes to pay 
the traveling expenses of one of the preachers. The 
prospect was so gloomy, in regard to support, that the 
presiding elder gave him a dispensation that he might 
teach a school. He accordingly gathered together about 
sixty scholars, ranging from A B C up to mineralogy and 
Latin. From each scholar he received a small sum, to 
be paid in store goods at an exorbitant price ; but as he 
had no rent to pay, being permitted to occupy an old log- 
cabin that was tenantless, he managed to get along. On 
Sabbath he would preach to the people of the neighbor- 
hood in the school-house. It happened that there came 
along a Universalist preacher, who was anxious to en- 
lighten the people on the subject of religion, and he 
requested the privilege of preaching in the school-house, 
which was granted. The burden of his discourse was to 
expose the priestcraft of the orthodox clergy, and to con- 
vince the dear people that they were terribly priest-rid- 
den; that these fat, sleek Methodist preachers cared 
more for the fleece than they did for the flock. On the 



WESTEEN METHODISM. 255 

next Sabbath, after the school-teacher had preached, an 
old local preacher, who lived in the neighborhood, and 
had been a colleague of Bishop Hedding on a New Eng- 
land circuit, was invited to close the exercises. He had 
heard the Universalist the Sabbath before, and was mak- 
ing a reply, at the Universalist's invitation, which would 
have completely demolished him, had not the meeting 
been broken up by a drunken man, who came in and 
ordered him out of the pulpit. On rising to give out a 
hymn, he said he wished to make a remark. "Last Sab- 
bath," said he, "we heard much about priestcraft, and 
about our being priest-ridden, and all that sort of thing. 
Well, I don't think we have much reason to complain of 
being priest-ridden, for our preacher teaches our children, 
furnishes wood and candles, builds the fire, sweeps the 
house, attends our sick, buries our dead, and preaches for 
nothing — all for nothing — lives in a log-cabin and finds 
himself." 

Thus it was with Beauchamp. He was surveyor, law- 
yer, physician, school-teacher, mechanic, and preacher; 
and his services, like the blessings of the Gospel, were 
without money and without price. His arduous labors 
preyed heavily upon his delicate constitution, and he was 
obliged, in 1821, to retire to his farm, about three miles 
from Carmel. Shortly after this he was called to part 
with his son — his only son — in the thirteenth year of his 
age. He was a bright and beautiful boy, tender and 
affectionate in his disposition, and beloved by all; but 
Death, who loves a shining mark, claimed him as his 
own, and he fell a blighted flower, and was gathered to 
the tomb. After this deep affliction, brother Beauchamp 
re-entered the itinerant ranks in the Missouri conference, 
and was stationed in the city of St. Louis. In this sta- 
tion he labored with great success for one year, at the 
expiration of which time he was appointed presiding 



256 



SKETCHES OF 



elder of the Indiana district. His district was large, 
embracing eleven circuits, and covering a wide extent 
of territory, where he labored with zeal untiring in 
cultivating the vineyard of his Lord and Master. While 
on this district he was elected a delegate to the General 
conference. Such was the estimate put upon his talents 
by the members of the General conference, that he came 
within a few votes of being elected to the Episcopacy. 
His journey to Baltimore and the severe labor connected 
with the district, which embraced almost the entire state 
of Indiana, were too great for his constitution to bear, 
and the old complaint, under which he had suffered, re- 
turned. In a very feeble state of health he was taken 
to his fourth quarterly meeting, which was on the camp- 
ground near Peoli. Here he became worse, but gave ad- 
vice and attended to some business. From this place he 
was removed to Mr. Craven's, and from thence to Mr. 
Peek's, at Peoli, where he would be more convenient to 
medical aid. All efforts that medical skill could make 
were, however, unavailing, and he continued to sink 
under the power of disease till, at the expiration of six 
weeks from the time of the attack, he yielded up his 
spirit into the hands of God. His death was tranquil, 
and, with the bright hopes of a faithful Christian, he 
passed over the swellings of Jordan. His funeral ser- 
mon was preached by Bishop Roberts from the text, 
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his 
saints." At the time of his death he was in the fifty- 
third year of his age. 

The following description of his person and address, 
from the pen of his intimate friend, T. S. Hinde, will 
give the reader a correct idea of the learned and talented 
subj ect of our sketch : 

" He was a man of common stature, about five feet ten 
inches in hight, light form, dark, or auburn hair, rather 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



257 



of a sallow complexion and thin visage. His features 
were remarkably regular and round j his head ; forehead, 
and face were well proportioned ; there was nothing strik- 
ing in the appearance either of his nose or mouth, both 
exhibiting a quite common appearance, nor, at first view, 
was there any thing remarkable in the cast of his eye; 
like that of most geniuses it seemed to slumber in 
thought, till roused to action. But a strict observer, par- 
ticularly a discerning stranger, would discover an indica- 
tion therefrom of deep thought and a reflecting mind; 
and yet a reserve bordering on austerity. While his eye 
was watchful and vigilant, a strict and rigid observer of 
passing events, it was apparently hid and retired where 
caution and prudence were deemed necessary. This was 
its cast to a stranger; but to an acquaintance or a friend 
he was free and open. His gait was generally slow, but 
when in health his motions were more rapid. He was 
very uniform in his conduct, and systematic in his de- 
portment; yet no man was ever a more pleasant and 
agreeable member of society, adapting his language and 
conversation to the state and capacities of each, being 
perfectly at home among the high or the low, the rich or 
the poor. Though apparently pensive and reserved, yet 
there was no man more pleasant, communicative, and 
cheerful. In a company of select friends he was in his 
element, and his soul then appeared expanded as at a 
mental feast. His dark hazel eye would rise from its ap- 
parent languor, and sparkle with beams of light. His 
countenance, like the sun breaking forth from a parting 
cloud, would assume a lovely sprightliness, as if to cheer 
the spirits of those with whom he delighted to be asso- 
ciated ; for he took great pleasure in the society of his 
friends. 

"Mr. Beauchamp in his friendship was steady and 
uniform, on no occasion yielding his regard for one till 
22 



258 



SKETCHES OF 



he was well satisfied that his confidence was misplaced. 
He had a little stoop of the shoulders, and when speaking 
in public his gestures were natural and easy. His voice 
was very uniform, remarkably soft in social conversation, 
but in argument energetic. In his preaching, when 
holding out the promises and the invitations of the Gos- 
pel, there was a soft tenderness, a sweetness in his voice, 
produced frequently by gentle breaks, as if the rising 
sympathies of his soul obstructed, in some degree, his 
utterance; when a gentle, thrilling sensation appeared to 
move a listening multitude, all bending forward to catch 
every sentence or word as it fell from his lips. This cir- 
cumstance has frequently been admired. But when he 
became argumentative, and discussed doctrinal points, 01 
when false doctrines were attacked, the tone of his voice 
was elevated, his whole system became nerved, and his 
voice assumed a deep hollow tone, and then soon became 
elevated to its highest key, and fell like peals of thunder 
on the ears of a listening assembly. On one occasion the 
force of his powerful eloquence was fully demonstrated; 
it was on a subject of controversy. His antagonist, who 
had sat and listened for some length of time to argu- 
ments too powerful for him to answer, began to look as if 
the voice which he now heard came from another world, 
through the shadow of a man; he rose, apparently with 
a view to leave the house, but being so overcome he stag- 
gered, caught by the railing, reeled, and fell to his seat, 
and there sat, overwhelmed and confounded, till the dis- 
course was concluded, when he quietly stepped from the 
house. His manner of preaching was plain, seldom di- 
viding his subject into different heads, but took the natu- 
ral division of the text. He would indeed branch out on 
his subject, but it was so natural and easy, and done in 
such a way as appeared to unfold new beauties in ths 
Gospel. His sermons were deep, and made a lasting im- 



WE STERN METHODISM. 



259 



pression upon the mind, because they were both practical 
and doctrinal. Holiness was his theme; there was sel- 
dom a shout raised in the assembly under his preaching, 
but always strict attention paid to his discourses, and 
every eye fixed upon the speaker; and, frequently, the 
people all bathed in tears." 



260 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XIX. 

GOVERNOR TIFFIN. 

The following interesting sketch of the life of Ed- 
ward Tiffin, the first Governor of the state of Ohio, 
has been kindly furnished us by Samuel Williams, Esq., 
to whose correct and graphic pen Methodism is largely 
indebted for historical recollections. 

"Edward Tiffin was born in the town of Carlisle, Cum- 
berland county, England, a few miles south of the border 
of Scotland, June 19, 1766. His education was limited 
to the ordinary branches of a common English course, as 
his parents were in moderate circumstances and unable 
to educate him better. At an early age he commenced 
the study of medicine; and in 1784, at the age of about 
eighteen years, before he had completed his medical 
course, he immigrated to the United States and settled in 
Charlestown, Berkley — now Jefferson — county, Virginia, 
whither his parents and all the family soon afterward 
removed. Having finished the study of medicine, under 
a distinguished physician, whose name I have forgotten, 
Mr. Tiffin, while yet very young, commenced the practice; 
and by his skill and success in his profession, he soon 
acquired a high character and standing as a physician. 

"His natural buoyancy of spirit and great vivacity, his 
sprightliness of temperament and pleasing manners, to- 
gether with his engaging conversational powers, and his 
active and agile movements, made him the favorite in the 
fashionable and gay circles around him, and the life and 
soul of the company wherever he was present. In 1789, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



261 



when about twenty-three years old, lie united in marriage 
with Miss Mary Worthington, daughter of Mr. Robert 
Worthington, near Charlestown, and sister of the late 
Governor Thomas Worthington, of Ohio. The year fol- 
lowing Dr. Tiffin and his wife, were attracted by curiosity, 
perhaps, to hear the Rev. Lewis Chastain and Rev. 
Thomas Scott, the two Methodist preachers stationed that 
year on Berkley circuit, and whose fame brought out large 
congregations to hear them. Mr. Scott, by his preach- 
ing, and especially by his youthfulness — being then only 
eighteen years old — attracted particular notice. The 
truth reached the heart and conscience of the Doctor, 
and he was received into the Church as a probationer by 
Mr. Scott, who thus notices the circumstance in his 'His- 
torical Recollections/ in the Western Christian Advocate 
of June 8, 1853 : 

" ' After preaching at Hite's Chapel, the first round I 
took on the [Berkley] circuit, I was invited by Mr. John 
Anderson, grandfather of the late Rev. Mr. Anderson, of 
the Ohio conference, deceased, to preach in Charlestown, 
situated about four miles distant, the next time I came 
round. I consented and appointed to preach there on 
the Sabbath. Mr. Anderson and his wife belonged to 
the class at Hite's Chapel, but resided in Charlestown. 
In the interval between that and the time appointed for 
preaching, several prayer meetings were held at Mr. An- 
derson's, during which they were greatly disturbed by 
mobs. 

" 'The day named for the purpose was beautiful, and I 
preached to a large, attentive congregation, in a grove 
near the town. When I had concluded, I notified the 
congregation that it was my wish to form, on that day, a 
Methodist society or class in that town, and invited all 
who were determined to flee the wrath to come and be 
saved from their sins, to meet me at the house of Mr. 



262 



SKETCHES OF 



Anderson at an hour named. Before the hour had arrived 
Dr. Edward Tiffin came into the room where I was sit- 
ting and commenced a conversation with me. Being a 
stranger to me, and not knowing but that he had been 
one of those who had favored the mobs, I conversed with 
him cautiously. He, however, remained, and several 
others soon collected. After singing, prayer, and an ex- 
hortation, I gave an invitation to those who wished to 
become members to come forward and announce their 
names. The Doctor was standing on the opposite side of 
the room fronting me. I had not perceived that he was 
affected; but the moment I gave the invitation he quickly 
stepped forward, evidently under deep and pungent con- 
viction, roaring almost with anguish, and asked for ad- 
mission into our Church. He was admitted; and before 
I had completed that round on the circuit, he had 
preached several sermons/ In another place the Judge 
writes: 'Immediately after I had received Dr. Tiffin into 
the Church he became convinced of his call to the min- 
istry. Conferring not with flesh and blood, and without 
waiting for a license, he immediately commenced preach- 
ing. One of the places selected by him for that purpose 
was Bullskin. There his ministerial labors, as also the 
labors of the Revs. Lewis Chastain and Valentine Cook, 
were greatly blessed. A very large class of lively, excel- 
lent members was formed, who met at the house of old 
Mr. Smith, father of the Rev. Henry Smith/ of Pilgrim's 
Rest, near Baltimore. Mr. Smith, in his ' Recollections/ 
speaks of Dr. Tiffin's preaching as i pathetic and powerful.' 
But although the Doctor commenced preaching before 
receiving license for that purpose, it was evident that he 
had not run before he was sent. Not only did the love 
of Christ constrain him to proclaim the unsearchable 
riches of his Gospel, but the divine call to the ministry 
was so powerfully impressed upon his mind that he dared 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



263 



not ; at his peril, disobey it. Yet the cross was almost 
insupportably heavy, and he had, at first, well nigh sunk 
under it. The Doctor told me himself, more than thirty- 
five years ago, that, attending at one of his appointments — 
perhaps one of the first that had been made for him — 
seeing the people flock in in multitudes, and knowing 
that mere curiosity to hear him preach had brought most 
of them out, his heart failed within him. He slipped 
out some half an hour before the time appointed for com- 
mencing the meeting, and hastily retired to a deep forest 
near at hand, with the intention of hiding himself til 
the congregation should become tired of waiting and dis<» 
perse. But it would not do. He could not flee from the 
vivid conviction which seemed to sound in his ear like 
thunder, and thrill like lightning through all his soul. 
'A dispensation of the Gospel is committed to me, and 
woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel/ In his agony 
the perspiration fell in large drops from his face, and his 
garments were wet with its profuse flow. He felt almost 
involuntarily impelled to return to the house, which was 
now full to overflowing, and great numbers outside. 
Scarcely able to stand, the Doctor — like one of his dis- 
tinguished predecessors in the ministry, the first time he 
preached at Corinth — commenced the service 'in weak- 
ness, and in fear, and in much trembling/ But he soon 
felt divinely aided, and threw off the incubus which 
seemed to press him to the earth, and he preached with 
great liberty; and if his 1 speech and his preaching was 
not with enticing words of man's wisdom/ yet it was 'in 
demonstration of the Spirit, and of power/ for sinners 
were cut to the heart, and God honored his servant in 
the sight of all the people. 

"About two years after Dr. Tiffin began to preach, he 
was admitted to the office of a deacon in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, by Bishop Asbury, by whom he was 



264 



SKETCHES OF 



ordained on the 19th of November, 1792, as appears by 
the Bishop's parchment of ordination, of that date, now 
before me. At that period the Discipline authorized the 
Bishop to ordain local preachers to the order of deacons, 
on a testimonial of the requisite qualifications, signed by 
three elders, three deacons, and three traveling preach- 
ers. But in the case of Dr. Tiffin — as I learned, either 
from the Doctor himself, or one of his sisters— ^-this for- 
mality was dispensed with; and the good Bishop, who 
greatly loved the Doctor, on the occasion of a visit at his 
house, voluntarily and without the solicitation or sugges- 
tion of any one, conferred upon him, impromptu, by reg- 
ular ordination, the office of deacon. 

"In 1796 Dr. Tiffin removed to and settled in the vil- 
lage of Chillicothe, in the territory north-west of the Ohio 
river. That village had been laid out but a short time 
before by G-eneral Nathaniel Massie, and most of it was 
yet covered with a dense forest. The Doctor selected a 
four acre out-lot at the upper end of the town for his res- 
idence, and built thereon the first house erected in town 
which was graced with a shingle roof. He continued the 
practice of medicine in Chillicothe and the surrounding 
country, attending promptly, as far as practicable, to all 
calls for professional services, encountering often severe 
sufferings from the inclemency of the weather, in long 
and fatiguing rides on horseback, on dark nights over 
wretched roads, or, rather, no roads at all, crossing swollen 
streams with dangerous fords, and with the full knowl- 
edge, frequently, that the patient was too poor to make 
him any remuneration for his services and medicines. It 
was his custom, whenever practicable, to pray with his 
patients, and administer to them suitable religious coun- 
sel and instruction; and these exercises were usually ac- 
companied with good effect. In obstetric cases this was 
especially his practice; and in protracted cases of this 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



265 



mature, lie has been known to engage in fervent prayer 
with, and for the patient twice or thrice, or oftener. 
His example of praying with his patients would be well 
worthy of imitation by all pious physicians. This, we 
believe, a portion of them do. 

" Notwithstanding his extensive and laborious practice 
as a physician, Doctor Tiffin found time to labor much 
and zealously, and with great usefulness, in his Lord's 
vineyard. He had his regular Sabbath appointments for 
preaching in the country — for there was then no opening 
for it in town — and his ministry was signally blest to his 
congregations. One of his regular preaching-places was 
at Anthony Davenport's, on Deer creek, twelve miles 
north of Chillicothe. Here he had a large congregation, 
and organized a flourishing society long before any of the 
traveling preachers had visited that part of the country. 
The Rev. Henry Smith, in his ' Recollections of an old 
itinerant' — p. 326 — who visited that society in October, 
1799, speaks warmly of its prosperous condition. Mr. 
Smith, in the same connection, adds : ' Monday, October 
4th. I rode down the river to Chillicothe, and put up with 
Doctor Tiffin, with whom I had been long acquainted, 
[in Virginia.] The Doctor had often preached in our 
neighborhood, and sometimes at my father's. He and 
his excellent wife received me as a messenger of Christ, 
and treated me with great kindness. Sister Tiffin was 
one of the most conscientious and heavenly-minded women 
I ever saw. She was a mother in our Israel indeed. 
About that time a report was put in circulation that the 
Doctor had given up his religion. He laughed at it, and 
said, "It would not do for me to backslide; for my wife 
would let me have no peace." The Doctor, however, 
refused to take any part in religious exercises in Chilli- 
cothe out of his own family. He had his reasons for it/ 
Those ' reasons/ it would seem, were considered by Mr. 
23 



266 



SKETCHES OF 



Smith valid. They probably grew out of the ' report 1 
mentioned by him, which, I suppose, 'was put in circu- 
lation' by some narrow-minded and malicious persons, 
through envy or jealousy, because of the Doctor's deserv- 
edly great popularity. 

" About the time Mr. Smith speaks of — autumn of 
1799 — Dr. Tiffin was elected a member of the territorial 
Legislature. The North- Western territory then embraced 
all the country lying north-west of the Ohio river and 
east of the Mississippi; and delegates were in attend- 
ance from the isolated settlements of Kaskaskia, on the 
Mississippi, at Vincennes, on the "Wabash, and at De- 
troit, in Michigan. Solomon Sibley represented the 
latter in the territorial Legislature. Mr. Sibley and the 
Doctor took prominent parts in the debates; and were 
frequently on opposite sides in the discussions. The 
former was cool, deliberate, and logical in debate; while 
the latter, though not less logical and conclusive in his 
argument, was exceedingly animated and ardent in his 
feelings, and would sometimes, unguardedly, expose him- 
self to the keen retorts of his philosophic opponent. 
Some sixteen or eighteen years after this period, I was 
present when Mr. Sibley, on his return from a session of 
Congress, of which he was a member, paid a visit to Dr. 
Tiffin, in Chillicothe. Their service together in the ter- 
ritorial Legislature was alluded to, when the Doctor very 
pleasantly remarked, 'In our debates, Mr. Sibley, I wished 
a thousand times that I could have the same calm, philo- 
sophic, and imperturbable spirit which you possessed. I 
saw and felt the advantage which it gave you over me 
when we happened to come into collision/ 'I hope, Doc- 
tor/ replied Mr. Sibley, 'that I never said any thing, 
when replying to you, that was in any way personally 
offensive V 'Not at all/ rejoined the Doctor; 'the 
marked respect which you always showed toward those 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



267 



opposed to you in debate, could not but command my ad- 
miration, and often filled me with keen regret at the 
unguarded expressions which escaped me in the heat of 
debate/ Mr. Sibley laughingly replied, 'I well remem- 
ber, Doctor, how often I have wished that I could infuse 
into my remarks on the floor the same ardor of feeling 
which was displayed in your speeches/ The interview 
was a very pleasant one to both these gentlemen. 

" Mr. Sibley was one of the early pioneers of Michigan, 
whither he emigrated from Massachusetts, his native 
state. He was a prominent, useful, and influential citi- 
zen, and held successively several important offices, both 
under the territorial and state governments. He died at 
Detroit some years since. 

"In the autumn of 1802 an election was held to choose 
delegates to the convention which adopted the first Con- 
stitution, and formed a state government for Ohio. Dr. 
Tiffin was elected one of the delegates from Ross county; 
and on the meeting of the convention he was chosen its 
President, the duties of which office he discharged with 
much ability and great satisfaction. The members were 
chosen for their honesty and capacity. They came to- 
gether as business men, and without wasting their time 
in speeches ' for Buncombe/ they went earnestly to 
work, and in thirty days framed an excellent Constitution, 
which served the state for nearly half a century, a mon- 
ument of the wisdom of its founders. 

"The next year, when the chief Executive of the state 
was to be chosen under the new Constitution, the eyes of 
the people were turned to Dr. Tiffin, and he was elected 
their first Governor without opposition, I believe. Two 
years afterward, when his term of service expired, he 
was re-elected to the same office. 

"It was during Governor Tiffin's second term of office, 
near the clcwe of 1806, that the conspiracy of Aaron 



268 



SKETCHES OF 



Burr was developed. His object was either a severance 
of the western states from the Union, or to seize upon 
that portion embraced in Louisiana, lately ceded by 
France to the United States. Burr had procured, at dif- 
ferent points on the upper Ohio, a great number of fiat- 
boats, and secretly freighted them with a large quantity 
of provisions and munitions of war. These boats were 
to rendezvous, at a given time, at Blennerhassett's Island. 
Governor Tiffin, on obtaining information of Burr's move- 
ments, promptly dispatched an express to the military 
commandant at Marietta, with orders to call out a strong 
militia force, armed and equipped for service, and post 
them, with all expedition, at a given point below Blen- 
nerhassett's Island, where the channel would oblige the 
boats to pass very near to the Ohio side of the river. The 
order was promptly executed ; and before Burr had any 
knowledge of the movement, the armed force to intercept 
his fleet was at the narrows, with a small battery of light 
field artillery. To pass this battery was found impossible; 
and Burr was obliged to abandon the expedition, and 
make his escape to parts unknown. As an interesting 
fragment of history pertaining to this affair, I insert the 
following, clipped from the New York Standard, an old 
newspaper : 

"'It is well known that Burr, defeated in his efforts to 
divide and crush the republican party, planned a con- 
spiracy, having for its object the severance of the Union, 
and that in December, 1806, various parties of men col- 
lected by him, and brought over to his views, embarked 
upon the Ohio river, and were to rendezvous at Blenner- 
hassett's Island, which was the great point of concentra- 
tion and depot, whence the expedition was to go forth to 
accomplish its nefarious project. But Mr. Jefferson, then 
at the head of the Government, had not been an inactive 
observer of these proceedings. He dispatched a messen- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



269 



ger, Mr. John Graham, into the western country, to put 
himself in communication with the executives and leg- 
islatures of the several states, and to urge the adoption 
of such measures as might be necessary to arrest the con- 
spiracy. The authorities of Ohio immediately put them- 
selves in action. A law was passed unanimously, for 
calling out the militia, and vesting all necessary powers 
in the Governor, and an address was transmitted to Mr. 
Jefferson, assuring him of the confidence of the people 
of Ohio in his administration, and of their determina- 
tion to put down all efforts to sever the Union. The 
then Governor, Mr. Tiffin, acted with promptitude. The 
people responded by one simultaneous expression against 
the adventurer thus aiming a fatal blow at the liberties 
of our country. The militia were called out, many of 
the persons engaged in the enterprise were arrested, and 
the whole project was defeated. 

" c We have lately turned to the files of the National 
Intelligencer, and found the following proceedings which 
it may not be uninteresting to read. The admirable let- 
ter to Mr. Jefferson can not fail to commend itself to the 
country, as well for its beautiful tone as for its truly- 
republican sentiments. 

"'"Chillicothe, December 26, 1806. 

" '"On Thursday last Mr. Lewis Cass introduced the fol 
lowing resolution, which was agreed to, and passed both 
houses without one dissenting voice : 

" ' "Resolved, unanimously, by the General Assembly of 
the state of Ohio, that the Governor be requested to 
transmit to the President of the United States the fol- 
lowing address : 

" ' "To Thomas Jefferson, Esq., President of the United 
States : 

"'"Sir, — At a time when the public mind throughout 
the Union is agitated with alarming reports respecting 



270 



SKETCHES OF 



the existence and designs of a party hostile to the wel- 
fare and prosperity of our country, we deem it a duty 
incumbent on us tc express to the Executive of the 
Union our attachment to the Government of the United 
States, and our confidence in its administration. What- 
ever may be the intentions of desperate and abandoned 
men respecting the destruction of that Constitution 
which has raised us to our present elevated rank among 
the nations of the world, and which is our only security 
for the future, we trust they will find very few advocates 
in the state of Ohio. We express the feelings and opin- 
ions of our constituents, when we say that no arts of 
intriguing men — no real or visionary prospects of advant- 
age, will ever induce us to sever that bond of union, 
which is our only security against domestic violence and 
foreign invasion. 

" 1 "Believing that the fundamental maxims of rational 
liberty have guided you in the administration of our Gov- 
ernment, we hesitate not to express our full and entire 
confidence in your councils and conduct. Enjoying every 
blessing which, as men and citizens, we could desire, and 
in a country fertile in nature's choicest gifts, we could 
deem it presumptuous, indeed, to hazard, by intestine 
dissensions, these incalculable advantages. We trust 
that public rumor has magnified the*danger; but should 
the design in agitation be as destructive as represented, 
we have no doubt that all fears will shortly be dissipated 
before the ^indignation of our citizens. That you may 
long live to enjoy the confidence and attachment of the 
American people, is the sincere and unanimous wish of 
the Legislature of Ohio." 

u < Reply of Mr. Jefferson to the Governor of Ohio : 

" ' " Washington, February 2, 1807. 
" <a SiR, — The pressing business, during a session of 
the Legislature, has rendered me more tardy in addressing 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



271 



you than it was my wish to have been. That our fellow- 
citizens of the west would need only to be informed of 
criminal machinations against the public safety, to crush 
them at once, I never entertained a doubt. 

have seen, with the greatest satisfaction, that 
among those who have distinguished themselves by their 
fidelity to their country, on the occasion of the enterprise 
of Mr. Burr, yourself and the Legislature of Ohio have been 
the most eminent; the promptitude and energy displayed 
by your state has been as honorable to itself, as salutary to 
its sister states j and in declaring that you have deserved 
most of your country, I do but express the grateful senti- 
ments of every fellow-citizen in it. The hand of the 
people has given a mortal blow to a conspiracy which, in 
other countries, would have called for an appeal to arms, 
and has proved that government to be the strongest of 
which every man feels himself a part. It is a happy 
illustration, too, of the importance of preserving to the 
state authorities all that vigor which the Constitution 
foresaw would be necessary, not only for their own safety, 
but for that of the whole. 

"'"In making these acknowledgments of the merit of 
having set this illustrious example of exertion for the 
common safety, I pray that they may be considered as 
addressed to yourself and the Legislature particularly, 
and generally to every citizen who has availed himself 
of the opportunity given, of proving his devotion to his 
country. 

"Accept my salutations and assurances of great con- 
sideration and esteem. 

[Signed,] ULU Thomas Jefferson. 

"'"His Excellency, Governor Tiffin. 77 ' 
"At the session of the Legislature in 1806-7, Gov- 
ernor Tiffin was chosen senator in Congress, in place of 
Thomas Worthington, whose term expired the 4th of 



272 



SKETCHES OF 



March following. Dr. Tiffin took his seat in the senate 
in December, 1807. Early in the following year he suf- 
fered a great bereavement in the death of his excellent 
and pious wife. Mrs. Tiffin embraced religion, and united 
herself to the Church at or about the same time with the 
Doctor. She was a most devoted and deeply-experienced 
Christian, loved and esteemed by all who knew her. She 
was a great favorite of the venerated Bishop Asbury, who 
speaks in the highest terms of her in his journal. This 
event probably determined the Doctor to retire from pub- 
lic life. Accordingly, after the close of the session of 
the Congress, which terminated on the third of March, 
1809, he resigned his seat in the senate, and returned 
to the peaceful retirement of private life. Early in the 
spring of this year, after his retirement from the senate, 
he removed to his beautiful farm on Deer creek, about 
eight miles north of Chillicothe, where he enjoyed the 
sweets of rural life in the cultivation of the rich alluvial 
land on that stream. Soon after this he united in mar- 
riage with Miss Mary Porter, of Twin township, in the 
same — Ross — county; an amiable, pious, and highly- 
respectable young lady, who, by her estimable qualities, 
and sweetness of spirit, filled the measure of his domes- 
tic happiness. 

" The Doctor, however, was not permitted a long respite 
from public life. At the general election in October fol- 
lowing his retirement from the United States senate, his 
fellow-citizens of Ross county called him to represent 
them in the popular branch of the Legislature. The 
session was opened on the first Monday in December fol- 
lowing. Dr. Alexander Campbell, of Adams county, who 
had been Speaker of the house of representatives for two 
or three sessions previous, was re-elected to that post. As 
Dr. Tiffin's seat in the United States senate was yet va- 
cant, the two houses of the Legislature, soon after the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



273 



session commenced, met in joint session, in the hall of 
the house of representatives, to elect a successor. Chilli- 
cothe was yet the seat of government, and the old stone 
court-house the capitol, in which the sessions were held. 
The building was very illy adapted for the purpose. The 
house occupied the court-room on the ground floor, a very 
uncomfortable, badly-lighted, and roughly-finished room, 
with a large fireplace at each end, and a wide, open stair- 
way out of one corner, leading up to the second floor. 
All the wood which could be piled on the fires failed to 
heat the large room in winter. The senate occupied the 
grand-jury room on the second floor. This was a low 
room, with a platform for the Speaker's seat at one side, 
and long, roughly-made tables on the floor, with plain, 
Windsor chairs ranged behind them for the reverend 
senators. 

"The two houses, as above stated, met in joint session. 
The senate, headed by their Speaker, Thomas Kirker, 
Esq., and their Secretary, Kev. Thomas Scott, descended 
the wide stairway before mentioned, and, on entering the 
' bar/ were received by the members of the house, stand- 
ing, and conducted to seats, the Speaker taking his seat 
at the right of the Speaker of the house. When all 
were seated and in readiness, the Speaker of the senate 
arose and said : 1 Gentlemen of the senate, you will 
please prepare your ballots for senator in the Congress of 
the United States, to fill the vacancy caused by the resig- 
nation of Edward Tiffin.' The Speaker of the house 
then called upon the ' gentlemen of the house of repre- 
sentatives ' to prepare their ballots for the same purpose. 
A teller from each house, named by their respective 
Speakers, collected the ballots in hats, and read them at 
the Clerk's table; each of the Clerks took down the votes 
given, and handed the result to their Speakers, by which 
it was shown that Doctor Alexander Campbell, Speaker 



SKETCHES OP 



of tLe Louse, was duly elected. TLis was, in due form, 
announced by Mr. Speaker Kirker to tLe 1 gentlemen of 
tLe senate/ and was followed by tLe Speaker of tLe 
Louse, wLo, under evident embarrassment, but wbicL Le 
succeeded very well in overcoming, announced in tLe 
same form: ' Gentlemen of tLe Louse of representatives, 
it appears tLat Alexander Campbell, of Adams county, 
Las been duly elected senator in tLe Congress of tLe 
United States, to fill tLe vacancy created by tLe resigna- 
tion of Edward Tiffin.' On tLe retirement of tLe senate 
to their cLamber, Dr. Campbell arose, and, after a few 
very toucbing farewell remarks, Landed to tLe Clerk, Mr. 
TLoraas S. Hinde, a written resignation of tLe Speaker- 
sLip of tLe Louse, and retired from tLe cLair. TLe 
Clerk immediately arose, and read tLe resignation to tLe 
Louse, and, on motion, tLe Louse proceeded at once to 
elect a Speaker to fill tLe vacancy. Dr. Tiffin was put in 
nomination, and, I tLink, unanimously cLosen Speaker; 
and, on taking tLe cLair, presented Lis tLanks to tLe 
Louse in a neat little speecL. 

" I was present during tLe wLole of tLe proceedings 
wLicL I Lave Lere given in detail, and record tLem now 
to sLow tLe reader of tLe present day Low sucL things 
were done in tLat early period of our state's Listory, wLile 
yet in its primitive simplicity and purity. Let tLe reader 
contrast these simple, Lonest, and dignified proceedings 
witL tLe disgraceful legislative caucusing, party drilling, 
corrupting influences, and baccbanalian orgies of some 
modern 'progressive' legislatures we wot of. We are 
strongly inclined to indulge in some furtLer reflections 
Lere j but, lest it migbt give offense, we refrain. 

" Doctor Tiffin was returned to tLe Louse of represent- 
atives tLe following year also — 1810 — and again cLosen 
Speaker by tLat body. TLe seat of government Laving 
been, in tLe mean time, by order of tLe previous session, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



275 



removed to Zanesville, the Legislature met and held its 
session in that town. For this removal of the seat of 
government, the town of Zanesville was indebted to the 
efforts and influence of its member, George Jackson. It 
remained there, however, but two or three years, and was 
removed back to Chillicothe, and soon afterward to Colum- 
bus, the permanent seat. Dr. Tiffin's intimate knowledge 
of the duties of the chair, and his habitual promptness 
and business tact, admirably fitted him to preside over a 
deliberative assembly; and as presiding officer he was 
deservedly popular, and gave great satisfaction. 

u The Doctor's income from the rent of his house in 
town, and the products of his mill and farm in the coun- 
try, being inadequate to the support of his family, he 
removed into town again, in the autumn of 1810, and 
resumed his practice as a physician, to which he devoted 
his whole attention ; and his well-known skill and popu- 
larity in his profession brought him at once into an 
extensive and lucrative practice. In surgical operations 
he was equally successful. Some instances of important 
cases might be mentioned ; but we will name but one or 
two. On one occasion, when visiting the sick, some fif- 
teen or twenty miles from Chillicothe, on Deer creek, he 
was sent for to see a man who had cut his foot very badly 
with a scythe, when mowing. The Doctor found the 
patient's foot in a high state of inflammation, with mor- 
tification commenced and rapidly advancing, requiring 
immediate amputation. To have delayed till he could 
get his surgical instruments would have been fatal to the 
patient, as the weather was extremely sultry. In place 
of a tourniquet he used a silk handkerchief, which he 
drew tightly around the leg. Then using his penknife 
for a scalpel, and a common handsaw for sawing off the 
bones, he soon had the diseased part of the limb severed, 
the wound dressed, and thereby saved the man's life At 



276 



SKETCHES OF 



another time lie was sent for to visit a woman, a few 
miles east of Chillicothe, who had an inflammatory dis- 
ease in one of her breasts. Mortification having set in, 
the Doctor found it necessary, to save the woman's life, 
to amputate the entire breast. This critical operation he 
performed successfully, and the patient's life was saved. 

"An act of Congress creating the General Land-Office 
was passed, j\pril 25, 1812. This act provided for the 
appointment, by the President and senate, of a ' Com- 
missioner of the General Land-Office,' with a salary of 
three thousand dollars, under whose direction and man- 
agement the business of the office was to be conducted. 
In selecting a suitable man to take charge of this import- 
ant office, President Madison, wholly unexpected and 
unsolicited by either Dr. Tiffin or any of his friends, con- 
ferred it upon him His nomination, when sent into the 
senate, gave great satisfaction to that body, and elicited 
an expression of warm approval from several members. 
The nomination was immediately taken up and unani- 
mously confirmed. The first intimation which the Doctor 
had of his appointment, was the receipt, by the next 
mail, of his commission, with a friendly private letter 
from President Madison, and complimentary letters from 
Mr. "Worthington, then in the senate, and several other 
members. The gratifying manner in which the office 
was conferred determined the Doctor at once to accept 
it. A few days thereafter, leaving his family in Chilli- 
cothe, he mounted his horse — the only practicable mode 
of traveling at that time — and, accompanied by the Rev. 
Joseph S. Collins,* of Chillicothe, whom he took along 
as a clerk in the office, he set out for Washington, which 



* The father of the Rev. John A. Collins, of the Baltimore con- 
ference. He still survives, at the advanced age of seventy-five 
years, and resides in Georgetown, District of Columbia. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



277 



lie reached in about two weeks of diligent and weary 
travel. Here lie immediately set about organizing the 
General Land-Office, and putting it in train for business. 
This was a laborious work, as the books, documents, 
papers, maps, etc., had to be gathered out of the several 
departments and bureaus of state, treasury, and war, and 
appropriately arranged for business in the new office. 
The Surveyor-General of the public lands, and the Reg- 
isters and Receivers of the numerous land-offices in the 
west, were placed under the direction and control of the 
new Commissioner; and these were to be put in commu- 
nication with him, and receive his instructions for their 
government in performing their duties. 

"Early in the following autumn the Doctor returned 
to Chillicothe, for the purpose of settling up his affairs, 
and to remove his family to Washington City, which he 
did. He took a beautiful mansion on the summit of 
Meridian Hill — as it is called, I believe — on the north- 
west extremity of Washington, to which were attached 
several acres of ground, including garden and an orchard 
of choice fruit of various kinds. The Doctor devoted 
unremitted attention to the duties of his office, where he 
was always to be found during the hours of business. 

"When the British army, in August, 1814, was on 
the march upon Washington City, and the order was 
given to remove the books, documents, and every thing 
pertaining to the public offices, to places of safety, in 
the country, he was the first officer to commence the 
work. By his prompt and efficient measures for the 
safety of his office, he succeeded in removing its entire 
contents to a safe place in Loudon county, Virginia, 
about ten miles from Washington; while several of the 
other offices in the departments lost much of their valu- 
able documents, all the public buildings, with their con- 
tents, having been burned by the enemy. 



278 



SKETCHES OP 



The Doctor, who never relished much a residence in 
Washington City, where the technical formalities and 
customs in fashionable life were unsuited to his taste, 
had now a strong desire to return to the west. The 
office of Surveyor-G-eneral of public lands north-west of 
the Ohio river, was then held by Josiah Meigs, Esq., 
who kept the office at Cincinnati, and was paid a salary 
by Government of two thousand dollars per year. The 
Doctor conceived the project of effecting an exchange of 
offices with Mr. Meigs, provided the consent of the Pres- 
ident and senate could be obtained. Early in the autumn 
of 1814 he wrote to Mr. Meigs, confidentially, making 
the proposition here named to him, who willingly con- 
sented thereto. The Doctor next brought the subject 
before the President privately, and satisfied him that the 
proposed exchange was mutually desired by himself and 
Mr. Meigs, and that the public interest would in no way 
suffer thereby. Mr. Madison obligingly assented to 
their wishes, and sent to the senate their nominations 
for that purpose, which were confirmed by that body. 

The way being now open for the Doctor's return to his 
favored west, he lost no time in making his preparations 
for that purpose. Sending on his household goods in 
advance, he, with Mrs. Tiffin and their children and 
nurse, performed the tedious journey in the family car- 
riage. He immediately removed the Surveyor-General's 
office from Cincinnati to Chillicothe, its location not being 
fixed by law at any one place. Here he fitted up the 
office in an old, one-story log building, which had been 
erected in the early settlement of the town, and stood on 
Water-street, in front of his dwelling-house, and, I be- 
lieve, remains there yet, a relic of the olden time. The 
Doctor now went to work, with his characteristic ardor 
and assiduity, to acquaint himself minutely with the 
routine of the duties devolving upon him, and to ge» 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



279 



'the run' — the history and present state of its business. 
This was a laborious task, one in which he derived little 
or no assistance from the only clerk whom he found in 
the office, who had been himself but a short time in it; 
Mr. Meigs having set out for Washington City about the 
time that the Doctor left it for Ohio. At that time no 
public surveys were being made, having been suspended by 
the presence of hostile Indians on the territory to be sur- 
veyed, and but little current business demanded attention. 

"In the spring of 1814, before he had any thought of 
returning to Ohio, Dr. Tiffin, without any solicitation 
from me or my friends, had appointed me to a clerkship 
in the General Land-Office. Wishing to have me in his 
office at Chillicothe, the Doctor, in January following, 
made the proposition to me, and offered me the post of 
chief clerk therein. This offer I very willingly accepted, 
and in the spring of 1815 moved back to Chillicothe, and 
immediately entered upon the duties of my new employ- 
ment. The business of this office being exactly suited 
to my taste and inclinations, it will not, I hope, be con- 
sidered out of place for me to say that I devoted, unre- 
mittingly, what little energy and ardor I possessed to 
make myself thoroughly acquainted with the whole rou- 
tine of duties devolving upon me, as well as those per- 
taining to the head of the office ; for these, likewise, as 
the Doctor's health declined, he committed almost entirely 
to my management. It was, I will add, gratifying to me 
to know that the onerous duties, thus devolved by him 
upon his chief clerk, were performed to the Doctor's 
entire satisfaction, as well as that of the department at 
Washington, the head of which, in after years, spoke of 
the manner in which the business of the office had been 
conducted in very flattering terms. 

" During the first three or four years after the Doctor's 
return from Washington, he occasionally preached in 



280 



SKETCHES OF 



town ; and, at one time, for several months, conducted 
the religious services of the little society of the Prot- 
estant Episcopal Church in Chillicothe, who had, as yet, 
no pastor. Besides the morning service of that Church, 
he usually read a sermon from some book, using for this 
purpose, mostly, 'Burder's Village Sermons/ He was a 
fine reader, and read from the pages of the book, which 
lay on the desk before him, with all the appropriate em 
phasis, cadence, intonation, and pathos of an extempora- 
neous discourse. On one Sunday he did venture to 
deliver one of his own extemporaneous sermons, and 
with such warmth and power that his congregation was 
thrown into great amazement. A committee appointed 
by them waited upon the Doctor the next day, and ex- 
pressed their disapprobation of extempore sermons, desir- 
ing him, in future, to read only. Whether he ever 
officiated for them afterward I do not now recollect, but 
think he did not. 

"The Doctor had long been subject to occasional par- 
oxysms of severe nervous headache, which did not usually 
continue beyond a few hours. As he advanced in years 
these paroxysms became more frequent and severe, with 
painful disturbance of the whole nervous system, and 
great suffering. These afflictions gradually advanced 
upon him to the end of his life; and during the last four 
or five years of it most of his time was spent in his bed. I 
usually went to his room every morning, to see him be- 
fore opening the office; and often has he said to me, 'I 
had a very bad night of it, and was in hopes that I would 
have died before morning!' And on more than one 
occasion he has added, ' 0, how glad I would be if the 
Lord would only send the messenger, and release me 
from my sufferings ! I fancy that when my exulting 
spirit would reach the ceiling it would turn a moment 
and gaze upon the lifeless body, and triumphantly 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



281 



exclaim, "Ha, you old diseased carcass, I am liberated 
from your loathsome prison at last ! Farewell, till we 
meet again, when the trumpet shall awaken you from 
the tomb, and your mortal shall put on immortality !" * 
When well enough to leave his room, he would attend to 
some business in the office, or overlook the work in his 
garden, or other matters about the house; and, as often as 
practicable, he attended public worship and his class meet- 
ings. He read much even when unable to sit up. Hun- 
dreds of times have I found him on his bed with a book 
in his hand, the pages of which he was poring over with 
earnestness, although suffering much at the time. His 
reading was generally confined to religious works. 

" The last few years of his life were but little diver- 
sified with incident. Disease and suffering were gradu- 
ally wearing him down to the grave. He was mostly 
confined to his room and to his bed. And when his 
health permitted him to be out, he was soon obliged to 
return again to his room. 

" Doctor Tiffin held the office of Surveyor-General for 
nearly fifteen years, enjoying the entire confidence of 
Presidents Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, 
and the departments at Washington, in his capacity, 
integrity, and faithfulness in office. On the accession 
of General Jackson to the Presidency, the new doctrine 
that Ho the victors belonged the spoils' was adopted, 
and carried out, through all the numerous offices of the 
Government, from the highest to the lowest, where the 
incumbents were not known to be political adherents 
and active partisans of the General and his administra- 
tion. The Doctor had, for twenty years or more previous 
to this time, laid politics aside. He concerned not him- 
self with, nor took any part whatever in, the political 
party movements of the day. He contented himself, 
when able to attend, by going to the polls and depositing 

24 



282 



SKETCHES OP 



his ballot.. His name, of course, was enrolled high up on 
the list of the proscribed, and he was early removed 
from office by the new President. His successor was 
General William Lytle, of Cincinnati, a gentleman every 
way worthy of the appointment. On the 1st of July, 
1829, General Lytle appeared, and laid before Dr. Tiffin, 
then on his death-bed, his commission, and an order from 
the department at Washington for the delivery of the 
office to him, as his successor. This was done very po- 
litely and promptly, and the office was at once removed 
by General Lytle to Cincinnati. 

"The Doctor's health continued to decline, and he grad- 
ually sunk till Sunday evening, the 9th of August, 1829, 
a little over six weeks after his removal from office. He 
had been long sensible of his approaching end, and con- 
templated the solemn event not only with calm compla- 
cency, but with joyful anticipations of a triumphant 
admission into his heavenly Father's kingdom and to the 
society of 'just men made perfect/ This joyful confi- 
dence he gave frequent expression to when visited by his 
friends and brethren. He retained the full exercise of 
his reason to the last, and gently and calmly sunk into 
the embraces of death about sundown of the day above 
mentioned, aged sixty-three years and two months. I 
close this brief account of his death with the following 
appropriate obituary notice, which I clip from the Chil- 
licothe I Scioto Gazette/ of August 12, 1829 : 

M ( Died, at his residence in this place, on Sunday 
evening last, the 9th inst., Dr. Edward Tiffin, in the 
sixty-fourth year of his age. 

" 1 The deceased was a native of England, but immi- 
grated to America at an early period in life, and settled 
in Berkly county, in the state of Virginia, as a prac- 
ticing physician. Shortly after this state — then a part 
of the North-West territory, so called — was opened for 



WESTERN METHODISM. 283 

settlement, he removed to this town, then in its infancy, 
and erected the first house that was covered with a shin- 
gle roof. In 1799 he was elected a member of the terri- 
torial Legislature, in which capacity he continued to 
serve till he was chosen a member of the convention 
that formed the Constitution of Ohio, of which body he 
was President. When, in 1803, the Constitution of the 
state went into operation, he was called to the first execu- 
tive office under it, by a very flattering vote of the 
people. This mark of the public confidence was again 
extended to him at the succeeding election of Governor. 
But before he had completed his second gubernatorial 
term, he was elected a senator in the Congress of the 
United States. In this distinguished station, he served 
the state till a heavy domestic misfortune compelled 
him, temporarily, to retire from public life. In the 
early part of the administration of President Madison, 
the General Land-Office was formed into a distinct 
bureau of the Treasury Department. In looking to the 
west for a suitable person to be placed at its head, the 
penetrating judgment of that great man selected the 
subject of this notice as its first Commissioner. He 
promptly repaired to the post, and faithfully devoted 
himself to the organization and discharge of the various, 
complicated, and arduous duties of the office, till he was 
appointed Surveyor-General of the United States, in 
which capacity he continued to act till the first of July 
last, when he was removed by President Jackson for his 
unbending honesty and independence as a politician; 
thus filling a life of almost continued public usefulness 
for upward of thirty years. 

" 1 In the various relations of a parent, husband, 
Christian, neighbor, and private citizen, the deceased 
has been but rarely equaled, and perhaps never excelled. 

" ' As a public man, he was inflexibly just, upright; 



284 



SKETCHES OF 



independent, and firm. As a private citizen, lie was em- 
phatically an honest and conscientious man; and as a 
Christian, he was catholic in his religious opinions, and 
exemplary and practically pious. 

u ' He has left, to deplore his loss, a widow, five chil- 
dren, a number of other near relations, and an extensive 
circle of public and private acquaintances. On the suc- 
ceeding afternoon his mortal remains were committed to 
the tomb, attended by a large concourse of the citizens 
of the town and of the adjoining neighborhood/ 

"In stature Dr. Tiffin was about five feet six inches, 
with pretty full and heavy body, and light limbs. His 
head was large, and his face full and round, with florid 
complexion. Baldness had taken place long before he 
had reached the meridian of life ; and, for the last fifteen 
or twenty years of it, he was obliged to wear a wig. His 
countenance was one of the most expressive I have ever 
seen, especially when lighted up with animation. He 
was remarkable for the activity and quickness of his 
movements, and whatsoever he did, he did with prompt- 
ness and with his might. Dr. Monett — a physician of 
Chillicothe — used to say of him, that 'what he could 
not do quickly, he could not do at all/ It was his rule 
of action, i never to put off till to-morrow that which 
could be done to-day/ In company, his conversation 
was generally animated, always engaging, and his manner 
full of life and vivacity, which often made him, on such 
occasions, the ' observed of all observers/ 

" In his financial affairs — especially those in relation to 
the office, where large expenditures were annually made 
on account of the public surveys — he was particularly 
exact, making it a point to keep his accounts posted up 
every day, ready for settlement in case of his death. 
And when removed from office, having no instructions 
about paying over the balance of public money in his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



285 



hands — some four or five thousand dollars — he gave the 
department at Washington no rest till he obtained an 
order to pay it over to his successor, which he instantly 
did. 

"His benevolence to the poor and needy was bounded 
only by his inability farther to relieve them. I have 
known him to feel intensely when he had not the means 
at hand, or to spare, to supply the wants of the needy 
and destitute ; and his known charity to the poor brought 
numerous calls from them for relief. In several in- 
stances, where he did not wish the recipients to know 
from whom the relief came, he has made me the almoner 
of his charity, and very probably often availed himself 
of similar services from others. The sufferings of the 
sick and poor always awakened his sympathies, and 
" ' His pity gave ere charity began.' 

u After his appointment as Surveyor-General, being no 
longer engaged in the practice of physic, he kept always 
on hand a supply of medicines in common use for the 
use of the poor and those not well able to pay, and to 
all such who called on him, he distributed suitable 
medicines, with professional advice and instructions, free 
of charge. Calls of this description were numerous, 
chiefly from the country; and I have known him to be 
employed for hours together in attending to the cases 
of the sick, in inquiring into the symptoms, in giving 
advice, writing prescriptions and making up packages of 
medicines, even when he was scarcely able to be out of 
his bed, or actually confined to it. 

"It should have been mentioned in its proper place, 
in the early portion of the Doctor's life, his filial care 
of his aged parents, for whom he provided a home in his 
own house, after their children were all settled in the 
world. He contributed in every way to their comfort 
and happiness, nursed them himself, with all tenderness 



286 



SKETCHES OF 



and affection, when they were sick, and, to the extent 
of his power, smoothed their passage to the tomb. They 
both died, I think, about the year 1807. 

" As a preacher, the Doctor's talents were much above 
mediocrity. He was methodical in the arrangement of 
his discourses, and always ' stuck to his text/ and pre- 
sented his subject with clearness and force. His lan- 
guage was somewhat florid, but yet plain, and adapted to 
the easy comprehension of all. His action in the pulpit 
was highly impulsive, yet natural and graceful, and his 
countenance lighted up with expression. His discourses 
were delivered with great animation and with eloquence 
and power, and his appeals to the hearts and consciences 
of his hearers were pointed, forcible, and effective. In 
the country around Chillicothe, where the Doctor had so 
often preached, he was deservedly very popular, and his 
labors in the pulpit much sought after, and at quarterly 
and camp meetings he was always assigned one, at least, 
of the chief appointments on the Sabbath. Three of 
Dr. Timn's sermons, preached in 1817, have been given 
in the 'Ohio Conference Offering/ a collection of ser- 
mons published in 1851, by Rev. M. P. Gaddis. (See pp. 
340-360.) 

"To the active labors and influence of Dr. Tiffin, the 
Church is more indebted than to any other man for the 
introduction and establishment of Methodism in Chilli- 
cothe and the surrounding country. 

" We may add, in conclusion, that the Doctor's excel- 
lent lady, whom he left a widow, survived him but a few 
years. His four daughters are still living. The eldest 
is married to Mr. Joseph A. Reynolds, and resides near 
Urbana; another married M. Scott Cook, Esq., of Chil- 
licothe; and the youngest is the wife of Dr. C. Gr. Come- 
gys, a talented and skillful physician of Cincinnati. The 
remaining daughter is unmarried. His only son, Edward 



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Parker Tiffin, chose the profession of medicine, and, 
after completing his studies and graduating, he spent 
two years in Paris, France, to perfect his knowledge of 
the healing art, and returned to the United States last 
autumn, and took the cars at New York on his route 
home. At one of the stopping-places on the way, where 
the passengers breakfasted, the train started before he 
had got on again, and in attempting to get on one of the 
cars when in motion, his foot slipped off the step, and he 
fell on the track, and was instantly run over by the 
wheels, nearly cutting off one leg and one arm, both 
near the body. He was taken back to New York, but 
survived only a few hours. 

" Dr. Tiffin, it is to be regretted, left no papers nor any 
written memorial of his life. Most of the foregoing 
memoir is drawn from memory, and relates to matters 
occurring from twenty-five to almost fifty years ago. It 
is also to be regretted that the only likeness left of the 
Doctor is a small miniature, which bears but little resem- 
blance to the original, and altogether fails to give the 
striking features and fine expression of countenance of 
the Doctor. I have been shown a portrait on some bank 
notes, which is said to be copied from the miniature 
above mentioned; but it fails to convey even what little 
trace of likeness is found in the miniature." 



288 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XX. 

JOHN A. GRENADE. 

A short sketch of this wonderful man, written by our 
friend and brother, Dr. Baker, of the Cincinnati confer- 
ence, containing some deeply-thrilling and interesting 
incidents, will be found below. The Doctor's sketch is 
prefaced by the following: 

"Dear Brother, — I am much gratified to learn that 
you are engaged in rescuing from the shades of forget- 
fulness the names, the labors, and privations of those 
pious dead, who, in the early stages of the settlement 
of the vast region of this now cultivated and truly i great 
west/ went forth, bearing the precious seed of Gospel 
truth, and scattering it broadcast over the extensive 
field. They had, morally speaking, to fell the forest, to 
clear, break up, and reclaim a soil, wild and luxuriant, of 
a vitiated growth, and transform it into a fruitful field. 
How did those men toil and suffer privation ! Surely 
their names, their labors, their sufferings, and their suc- 
cess should be stereotyped in the records of Methodism, 
and of the nation, in all coming generations. But, alas ! 
even the names of some of them are almost forgotten. 
We hope you will gather up many of the fragments that 
yet remain. It is a work worthy of your pen; and the 
book will be hailed with joy by hundreds of the pioneers 
of Methodism who yet linger on earth, both in the north 
and in the south, and by thousands of their descendants. 

"I send you herewith a few reminiscences of Rev. 
John A, Grenade, known, in the days of his itinerancy, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



289 



as the 'wild man.' Some points in his character and 
history I have learned from others, hut the pastoral visit 
I give from memory. 

"God, in his wisdom, for the accomplishment of his 
purposes, has, in every age of the world, chosen such 
instrumentalities as were adapted to the times, circum- 
stances, and state of society. This is illustrated and 
confirmed, as in numerous other instances, in the char- 
acter of the early Methodist preachers of this country. 
Moreover, times and circumstances tend to develop the 
character, mold the habits, and shape the courses of 
men. Hence, 'men for the times' are the instruments 
God has provided to meet emergencies; and where they 
are obedient to their call, and with fidelity attend to the 
work to which they were destined, success ever has, and 
ever will honor and crown their efforts; and if some dis- 
obey, others will be called. Thus are the designs of God 
accomplished. Such men always leave their impress 
upon their age. 

" Of several of the Methodist preachers who labored 
in the south-west in the days of my childhood, I have 
recollections more or less distinct. Samuel Douthet was 
hortatory and pathetic ; Ralph Lotspeich, a weeping 
prophet j Thomas Wilkerson, a son of consolation, whose 
speech dropped like the gentle dew; John Crane, a 
warm, earnest, eloquent man. He, too, often wept in 
preaching. Crane was a slender man, apparently feeble, 
very zealous, and abundant in labors. He fell a martyr 
to his work in 1812, on Duck river, Tennessee, where he 
labored night and day, while God himself was warning 
the terrified inhabitants by ' terribly shaking the earth.' 
James Axley, droll, witty, argumentative, and often pow- 
erful I heard him last at a camp meeting in Tennessee, 
in 1819. There are others of whom I could speak. 
Among them all, however, Grenade was the < Son of Thun- 

25 



290 



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der.' The visit to ray father's family, when he traveled 
the Holsion circuit, impressed him upon my memory so 
as never to be forgotten. 

"Of the parentage, nativity, or early life of Mr. Gren- 
ade I know nothing. When I saw him at my father's, 
in 1803, he was, as I suppose, near thirty years of age. 
He was about medium hight, but slender; of a quick and 
elastic step; formed for action. His voice was full and 
musical; his eye keen, piercing ; and, when speaking, his 
jesticulations were violent. He was a man of respecta- 
ble education, a physician, and a poet. His temperament 
was ardent, or, as Martin Luther said of himself, he was 
'choleric by nature/ 

" After his conversion, if my impressions are correct, 
he lost his evidence of justification and all his religious 
enjoyment, in consequence of refusing to preach. But 
the Spirit of God pursued him, and, though he tried to 
shake off his convictions of duty, he was brought to see 
and feel his perilous condition so sensibly as to excite the 
most fearful apprehensions and alarm. The enemy, tak- 
ing advantage of his condition, suggested that his des- 
tiny was now sealed ; that he had ' grieved the Spirit of 
God whereby he had been sealed;' that he had ' sinned 
against the Holy Ghost;' that his case was hopeless, and 
his doom unalterably sealed. He yielded to the tempta- 
tion, and his spirit sank within him. Now it was he 
'found trouble and sorrow;' yea, 'the pains of hell got 
hold upon him,' and now for a season the billows of the 
Divine wrath seemed to overwhelm him. He was brought 
to the verge of despair, and here he struggled long and 
hard. While thus drinking the 'cup of trembling,' the 
wormwood and gall, he wandered in forests and mount- 
ains, by day and by night, scarcely taking sufficient rest 
or nourishment to sustain nature, bewailing his lost — aa 
he believed — his hopeless condition and fearful destiny. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



291 



It was in this state of mind he composed some of his 
mournful and penitential poems, as he doubtless thought 
and feared, the funeral dirges of all his hopes. But 
though bordering on despair, he continued to pour out 
his soul in prayer, still cherishing a faint hope that mercy 
might possibly yet be extended to him, and the vials of 
Divine wrath be turned aside. Often did he wrestle as 
in an agony, pleading with Grod for mercy. It was in 
consequence of his thus wandering alone, bewailing his 
condition, and refusing to be comforted, that he first 
obtained the appellation of the 'wild man,' which cog- 
nomen consorted equally well with his subsequent zeal 
and the character of his efforts as a minister. 

"When he obtained deliverance it was sudden — instan- 
taneous as the lightning's flash. As he lay alone upon 
the ground, looking up toward heaven with mingled hope 
and despair, a light from heaven shone round about him, 
dispelling his gloomy forebodings, and filling his soul with 
unutterable peace and joy. It was a complete triumph. 
The transition was so sudden, so great, that the morning 
of rapturous joy was now as overwhelming as had been 
the long, dark night of his sorrow. In the poem com- 
memorative of this event, and which I heard him sing 
with the deepest emotions, are the following stanzas: 

' One evening, pensive as I lay 

Alone upon the ground, 
As I to God began to pray, 
A light shone all around. 

Glory to God ! I loudly cried, 

My sins are all forgiven ; 
For me, for me the Savior died ; 

My peace is made with heav'n.' 

"Having been thus severely schooled by experience in 
the evils of sin, and having tasted the joys of salvation, 
he became exceedingly zealous for the honor of that God 



292 



SKETCHES OF 



whose mercy had so marvelously saved him, and, deeply 
concerned for the salvation of his perishing fellow-men, 
he immediately engaged in calling sinners to repentance. 

"Mr. G-renade entered the traveling connection in 
1802, in the Western conference, and was appointed that 
year to Green circuit, with Moses Floyd in charge. In 
1803 he was appointed to Holston circuit, with Thomas 
Milligan in charge; but Milligan was afterward sent to 
Clinch, and Grenade was left in charge. The Holston 
circuit then embraced a large extent of country in East 
Tennessee, in the bounds of which my father then lived. 
"Whether Grenade was left with or without a colleague, 1 
know not; one thing is certain, however, he was abund- 
ant in labors, insomuch that his career as an itinerant 
was brief. His circuits were large, his rides long, and 
much of the time he labored both day and night; for 
where he had not regular appointments, his zeal and ex- 
traordinary labors rendered him so notorious that the 
people would throng him. Though often coy, shy, and 
fearful of approaching too near, yet they nocked to see 
and hear him ; and he was ever ready to speak for his 
Master ; ever ready to warn, to instruct, to comfort, to 
pray, or to sing, as opportunity offered or occasion re- 
quired. He obeyed the injunction, 'Work while it is 
called to-day/ Such was his zeal for God, and his con- 
cern for the souls of men, that he seemed to have forgot- 
ten himself, or to disregard the effects of his excessive 
labors upon his own frail constitution ; and his success 
may be learned from the official reports from the fields of 
his toil. 

"At this time my father resided on Roseberry creek, 
a small tributary of the Holston river, in Knox county, 
Tennessee. About two miles distant was a preaching- 
place, where the family were in the habit of attending 
preaching, and where my two eldest sisters, about this 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



293 



time, joined the little society. It was during this year, I 
think, in the month of June, and about two months before 
my father's death, that Mr. Grrenade made one of his 
primitive pastoral visits to our family. Though I was 
then but a child, I have a vivid recollection of this visit. 
Some of the family had been to hear him preach, and he 
came home with them. Soon after they returned from 
meeting word was sent to my uncle's family, who lived 
on an adjoining farm, and I think to some other near 
neighbors, that Mr. Grenade was there, and would be 
glad to see and converse with as many as could conven- 
iently collect. Soon after dinner the family were col- 
lected. My uncle's family, with others, came in. All 
being seated in the largest room of the farm-house — we 
had no parlors in the country in those days — the table 
was set out a little distance from the wall, and the books 
placed upon it. The preacher then came from his room, 
was introduced to the company, and then took his sta- 
tion by the table, my father sitting by his side. He first 
read a portion of Scripture, sung a hymn, and prayed. 
Well do I remember the earnestness, fervor, and unction 
of his prayer. He then gave an exhortation, in which 
he waxed quite warm, frequently moving the table for- 
ward before him, till at the close of his exhortation it 
stood near the center of the room. His hearers, except 
my father and elder sisters, being unaccustomed to such 
stentorian addresses, kept as respectful and non-committal 
a distance as the dimensions of the domestic chapel 
would permit. And as to my little self, being among 
the youngest of his auditors, and extremely timid by 
nature, I was partly hid in the bushes in the fireplace. 
It was customary in those days, in the warm season of 
the year, to clean out this recess, paint the hearth, and 
adorn it with green bushes from the woods and flowers 
from the garden. The exhortation over he sang again ; 



294: 



SKETCHES OF 



and then proceeded to speak personally to each individual 
present. Well do I remember what a chill ran over me 
when, in passing round the room in his earnest manner, 
rubbing his hands, he came opposite to where I sat, 
reaching forth his hand, and laying it upon my head, 
implored the blessing of <Hini that dwelt in the bush' 
to rest upon the child. At that moment my heart seemed 
to sink within me; but 1 coupled with fear' was a rever- 
ence for the man. I wept, I loved him; for I really 
believed he wished us all to be saved. After conversing 
with, and earnestly exhorting all in the room, he came 
again to the place of beginning; and never shall I forget 
the attitude in which he stood before my father. Rub- 
bing his hands briskly, lifting his feet alternately, and 
letting them down with no very slow or light tread, 
breathing deep inspirations drawn through his teeth, he 
almost literally danced, like David before the ark. After 
indulging for some moments in this ebullition of feeling, 
in which not a word was spoken, his full soul found 
vent in an outburst of blessing and thanksgiving to God 
that, though the harvest was large, and the laborers so 
few in that region, he had found one who was laboring 
faithfully in the wilderness to prepare the way of the 
Lord. He then walked the room for some time, singing 
hymns and spiritual songs, mostly of his own composing. 
His earnest manner, the shrill and musical tones of his 
voice, his speaking eye, now beaming with joy, and now 
suffused with tears, alternating with the varied emotions 
uf his ardent soul, which seemed to be full of the mighty 
thoughts that were struggling within and seeking an 
utterance, made such an impression upon my heart at 
the time, that the lapse of half a century, with all its 
vicissitudes, has not erased. I even yet recollect some 
of the stanzas he there sung, especially those relating 
to his own experience, in which he so vividly portrays 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



295 



his condition, as when, in the anguish of his soul, he 
poured forth his wild and bitter wail of despair : 

'0, that I were some bird or beast; 
Some wolf, or stork, or owl ! 
Some lofty tree sbould bear my nest, 
Or through the desert prowl.' 

And then his joyful deliverance, as given above. This 
stanza is, I think, nearly verbatim from his experience, 
as originally versified by himself. 

" At the close of these services, which, to the best of 
my recollection, lasted not less than two hours, the com- 
pany retired with his blessing. This interview, I pre- 
sume, was never forgotten by any who were then present. 
iSuch pastoral visits were seldom in those days, and such 
a one I have not witnessed since. The evening was 
spent by Mr. Grenade and my father in conversation on 
the all-important subject of their work — the work of sav- 
ing souls. These were times that demanded and called 
into requisition all the wisdom, the fortitude, and the 
patient perseverance of the few and widely-scattered 
laborers then in the field. 

"The next morning, after family worship and an early 
breakfast, these servants of God, with renewed vows of 
fidelity in their work, parted for the last time. In a few 
weeks from this time my father died suddenly of apo- 
plexy. Though he fell unexpectedly, in high health, 
and in the strength of manhood, he fell with the trumpet 
at his mouth. It was on the Sabbath. He had an ap- 
pointment to preach at eleven o'clock that day, but his 
work was done. About two o'clock in the morning he 
was heard breathing in an unusual and laborious manner. 
In a few moments a light was procured, and his family 
gathered around his bed. But he spoke not; death wag 
doing its work in a summary manner; and he 

'Ceased at once to work and live.' 



296 



SKETCHES OF 



"I have said Grenade was a poet. His poetry was 
characteristic of the man, and his style as a preacher 
bold, towering, often tinctured with the ' awfully sub- 
lime/ yet flowing with ease and naturalness, and some- 
times extremely tender and pathetic. In my childhood 
I memorized many of his 'spiritual songs/ but have for- 
gotten most of them. I have not seen any of them in 
their original dress for many years, and fear they are ' out 
of print/ Some vestiges of them, occasionally found in 
compilations, are so mangled and distorted that the 
author, if living, would hardly recognize them. 

" Mr. Grenade labored but three years as an itinerant. 
His zeal carried him beyond his strength, and under his 
indefatigable labors and exposures in the new settlements 
his health failed, and he located. My last information 
of him was, that he was practicing medicine somewhere 
in south-western Tennessee.'' 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



297 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE WESTERN METHODIST BOOK CONCERN. 

A sketch of the history of this institution, so inti- 
mately connected with the interests of Methodism in the 
west, should perhaps have been embraced in our sketch 
of the origin and progress of Methodism in Cincinnati; 
but as the Western Book Concern never has been, and 
never was designed to be local in its operations, but to 
embrace the entire west and south in the sphere of its 
labors, we have thought it more appropriate to assign to 
it a separate chapter. 

The General conference of 1787, having founded a 
Book Concern in Philadelphia, the proceeds of which 
were appropriated mostly to the establishment of Cokes- 
bury College and district schools, and which underwent 
changes and modifications, from time to time, in its pol- 
icy, till it was removed to New York in 1804, finally de- 
termined to devote the most of the profits to the enlarge- 
ment of the Concern and the increasing of the facilities 
for the manufacture of books. Accordingly, in the year 
1820, it was resolved that a branch should be located in 
Cincinnati, for the purpose of supplying the conferences 
west of the mountains with Methodist books. The books 
from New York were at that time wagoned to Philadel- 
phia, and from thence to Pittsburg, where they were 
shipped on the Ohio river for Cincinnati. 

If about the time of which we are writing, an individ- 
ual had been passing along Elm-street, between Fourth 
and Fifth streets, he would have seen, on the corner 



298 



SKETCHES OF 



of Elm and Fifth streets, a small office, over the door 
of which he could have read, on a small, rude sign, 
"Methodist Book Room." And it was a "room," sure 
enough; for in its fifteen by twenty capacity great opera- 
tions were performed. Like the log-cabins of our fath- 
ers, in which the kitchen, dining-room, sitting-room, 
chamber, and parlor were all in one, this " Book Room " 
comprised the depository, packing-room, counting-room, 
and Agent's office. It was also, to some extent, like the 
present Book Room, a kind of preacher's exchange. 
But, as we were going to say, had the individual we have 
supposed passing along been disposed to have looked 
within, he would have found a plain but intelligent- 
looking man behind the counter, or at the desk, or 
bending over a box of books which he might have been 
packing or unpacking, ready to receive and wait upon 
him with words of kindness, proceeding from an open, 
generous heart. That man was Martin Ruter, afterward 
President of Alleghany College and the master spirit 
of the Texas pioneers, where he labored, suffered, and 
died, giving up his martyr spirit into the hands of the 
great Savior, who called him away from the halls of 
learning to traverse the wilds of Texas, and lay the foun- 
dations of the Church in that infant republic. But to 
return from our digression. In that small store, had the 
inquiry been made, there might have been found the 
works of Wesley, Fletcher, Clarke, and Coke, together 
with the Journals of Asbury and the Hymn-Book and 
Discipline. There, also, he might have subscribed for 
the Christian Advocate and Zion's Herald; and, had he 
desired to have become more intimately acquainted with 
the condition and prospects of the Church, he might 
have obtained a copy of the General Minutes. But stay, 
gentle reader, we are a little too fast. The oldest Book 
Agent now living is here by our side, and he will correct 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



299 



us by telling you that if you purchased any of these 
books, you were obliged to do it on the wholesale prin- 
ciple, as the idea of a retail sales-room was not thought 
of in that day. Whenever an individual member of the 
Church in the vicinity wished to obtain either of the 
books named, he would call at or send a message to the 
house of brother Buter, close by the Book Room, where 
it could be had. 

Such was the "Western Book Concern in the year 1820, 
thirty-four years ago. What it has been since, and 
through all the progressive stages of its development till 
the present time, we shall endeavor briefly to describe. 
At first it was a mere depository, not even regarded as a 
branch of the parent Concern at New York, and, of 
course, it was neither expected nor desired that it should 
engage in the publication of any books. All that was 
published by Dr. Buter, during his connection with the 
Concern, was a Scriptural Catechism and Primer; but 
these were on his own individual responsibility. Under 
all the embarrassing circumstances in which he was 
called to carry on the business, the Doctor managed it 
well; and, though the total receipts for the first year did 
not amount to as much as is now received sometimes in a 
few days, being little over four thousand dollars, yet, con- 
sidering the times, it was a pretty good business. 

At that time there was a specific rule in the Discipline 
which rendered an Agent ineligible to re-election after 
he had been serving in that office eight years. Dr. 
Buter's term having expired by limitation in 1828, the 
General conference, which was held at Pittsburg, elected 
the Bev. Charles Holliday as Agent of the Concern in 
Cincinnati. As the successor of Dr. Buter, he set him- 
self to work to make himself acquainted with the busi- 
ness, which, though at that time was not very intricate, 
still required some knowledge of the book business. 



300 



SKETCHES OF 



Besides, at that time there were no clerks who had grown 
up in the establishment, like the Messrs. Kilbreth, Phil- 
lips, and Doughty, and others, to whom the Agents could 
look for information; and, hence, they had to begin with 
the A B C of the Concern, and study out its policy and 
operations as opportunity presented and as circumstances 
might require. In process of time it became necessary 
to remove the Book Boom to another place, and, accord- 
ingly, brother Holliday rented a house on George-street, 
between Bace and Elm, and appropriated the front room 
for the storage and package of books and every thing 
else belonging to the establishment. After occupying 
this location for upward of two years, it was thought best 
to make another removal, and the Concern was accord- 
ingly removed to the west side of Walnut, between Third 
and Fourth streets, in a stone building, which is still 
standing, on the north-west corner of Baker and Walnut 
streets, Mr. Henry Shaffer, who is still living in Cin- 
cinnati, being a clerk. Greater facilities were afforded 
here for carrying on the operations, as it was in a more 
business part of the city. The Concern occupied this 
location till the General conference of 1832, when it was 
determined that its operations should be enlarged by the 
appointment of two Agents and the removal to a still 
more conspicuous part of the city, and one more favorable 
to business facilities. Accordingly, the Bev. C. Holliday 
was re-elected Principal and the Bev. John F. Wright 
Assistant Book Agent, and the establishment was again 
removed, to the west side of Main-street, a few doors 
above Sixth-street, in a storehouse owned by Josiah Law- 
rence, Esq. Here the operations of the Concern were 
greatly enlarged, and its efficiency in supplying the west- 
ern and southern country with Methodist literature be- 
came apparent to all. The demand for Hymn-Books and 
Disciplines, particularly, having greatly increased, and it 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



301 



being difficult at all times to supply this demand, in con- 
sequence of the difficulty connected with the modes of 
transportation, it was determined to publish these works 
in the west, which, in due time, was done, the Hymn- 
Book being the first book published by authority. In 
the spring of the year 1834 the publication of the West- 
ern Christian Advocate was commenced at the Concern, 
and the Rev. Thomas A. Morris was appointed Editor. 
This paper has been increasing its patronage subscription 
list from that time, during all the periods of its history, 
to the present day. No Church paper in the country has 
been more popular, or received a more extensive patron- 
age, and had a greater circulation, than the Western 
Christian Advocate. But more of this anon. In the 
year 1836 the General conference struck out of the Dis- 
cipline the provision which limited the office of Book 
Agent to eight years, and the Agents of the Western 
Book Concern were not required to act any longer in a 
subordinate capacity to the New York Concern, but to 
" co-operate with them." They were also authorized to 
publish any book in the General Catalogue when, in their 
judgment and that of the Book Committee, it would be 
advantageous to the interests of the Church j provided 
that they should not publish type editions of such books 
as were stereotyped at New York. The conference also 
appointed an Assistant Editor of the Western Christian 
Advocate. The persons elected were Rev. Charles 
Elliott, D. D., Principal, and Rev. William Phillips, 
Assistant Editor. The Book Agents were also authorized, 
with the advice and consent of the Book Committee, 
to procure a lot of ground, and erect thereon suitable 
buildings for a printing office, Book Room, and bindery; 
and for that end they were allowed to appropriate such 
moneys in their hands as they could spare from the Con- 
cern, together with any donations that might be made for 



302 



SKETCHES OF 



thai; purpose in the west. At this conference Rev. J. F. 
Wright was elected Principal and Rev. L. Sworrnstedt, 
Assistant Agent. After much consultation, a lot on the 
corner of Eighth and Main streets, known as the St. 
Clair property, on which stood the mansion of General 
St. Clair, surrounded by lofty trees, was selected as the 
site. In its day this was regarded as a princely mansion, 
and even yet it presents the appearance of a venerable 
old pile. Around it, could its history be written, might 
doubtless be gathered many thrilling recollections of 
olden time. Here, doubtless, many a levee and soiree 
has been held by the officers of old Fort Washington and 
the army of General St. Clair. It stood back upward of 
a hundred feet from Main-street, in the center of the lot, 
and hence it was not necessary to remove it for the 
buildings which were to be erected. But more of this 
mansion hereafter. 

Preparations were made as soon as possible for putting 
up the necessary buildings, and a printing office, in due 
course of time, was erected, on the rear of the lot, four 
stories high, and sufficiently large for all the purposes 
of printing. The first book printed and published by 
the Concern from manuscript was Phillips's Strictures, 
the publication of which was ordered by the Ohio con- 
ference. We have already made an allusion to this work 
in our sketch of its author. The next work was the 
Wyandott Mission, which was followed by Morris's Ser- 
mons, Life of Roberts, Power on Universalis^, Tomlin- 
son's Millennium, Shaffer on Baptism, History of Ger- 
man Missions, House's Sketches, Memoir of Mrs. Sears, 
Anecdotes of Wesley, Prison Life, History of Methodist 
Episcopal Missions, Ohio Conference Offering, Butler's 
Analogy with Analysis, Objections to Calvinism, Carroll's 
Exposition, Morris's Miscellany, Domestic Piety, Memoir 
of Gurley, Life of Quinn, Larrabee's Evidences, Life of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



303 



Collins, American Slavery, Wesley and his Coadjutors, 
Letters to School Girls, Lorrain's Sea-Sermons, Miley on 
Class Meetings, Life and Times of Wiley, Autobiog- 
raphy of Finley, Positive Theology, Asbury and his 
Coadjutors, Life of Gatch, etc. We may not have given 
these in the exact order of time in which they were pub- 
lished; but it is sufficient to answer all the purposes of a 
sketch, and the reader can see what has been done since 
1836 in the publication of original works. Besides these, 
numerous reprints, both English and German, in the 
latter of which are several original publications, and a 
large number of pamphlets and tracts, too numerous to 
mention, have been issued from time to time. For many 
of the reprints duplicate stereotype plates were received 
from the Concern in New York. 

In the year 1839 a charter for the Western Book Con- 
cern was obtained from the Legislature of Ohio. In the 
year 1840 the Rev. J. F. Wright was re-elected, and Rev. 
L. Swormstedt continued Assistant Agent, at which time 
the Agents were authorized to publish a monthly period- 
ical adapted to the ladies. This work was commenced in 
January, 1841, with the title of " Ladies' Repository and 
Gatherings of the West;" and Rev. L. L. Hamline, As- 
sistant Editor of the Advocate, was appointed its Editor. 
The Agents also had authority to publish any book which 
had not previously been published by the Agents at New 
York, when in their judgment, and that of the Book 
Committee, the demand for such publication would jus- 
tify, and the interest of the Church required it. They 
were, however, prohibited from reprinting any of the 
larger works, such as the Commentaries, quarto Bibles, 
etc. They were also authorized to publish such books 
and tracts as were recommended by the General confer- 
ence, and any new works which the editors should ap- 
prove, and the Book Committee and annual conference 



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recommend. This year a German paper, for the benefit 
of the German Methodists, was established at Cincinnati, 
entitled Der Cliristliclie Apologete, and the Rev. William 
Nast was elected Editor. The Agents were also, by a rule 
passed at this conference, required to remit to the Agents 
at New York, as largely and frequently as their funds 
would allow, and to the full amount of stock furnished, 
if practicable. They were also required to remit all sur- 
plus funds not required for carrying on the business, to 
be added to the profits of the Concern at New York. 

In process of time a lot adjoining the St. Clair man- 
sion was purchased, and after the Book Concern proper 
was erected, a large four-story building was placed upon 
it, which is occupied by stores, the rent of which yields 
a handsome income. The entire lot, on which stand 
both of the buildings, is upward of one hundred feet, 
fronting on Main-street, and runs entirely back to the 
alley, inclosed on Eighth-street, from the Book Room to 
the printing office, by a high brick wall. The main 
building is upward of fifty feet front, and upward of a 
hundred feet deep, six stories high, two having been 
added the past year. The first floor in front is divided 
into a large sales-room and clerks' offices, in the rear of 
which is the office of the Agents. Immediately in the 
rear of the sales-room is a private room, fitted up with 
great neatness, for the Book Committee, or the transac- 
tion of any business connected with the Concern. In 
one side of this room has been built a substantial brick 
vault, with iron doors, for the safe-keeping of the ac- 
count-books, etc. In the rear of the front rooms is the 
packing department, which extends the whole width of 
the building. On the second floor, over the front rooms, 
is the depository for the books of the General Catalogue, 
and the Sunday school publications are in the rear, as 
also the German publications and tracts. The roaaas on 

I 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



305 



the third floor are occupied by three embossing-presses, 
which are worked and heated by steam from the boiler 
under the yard of the printing office. In this room there 
are thirteen hands constantly employed. The fourth 
story is also occupied with the bindery, in which there 
are sixteen hands. The fifth story, which is exclusively 
occupied by females, under the superintendence of Mr. 
White, is devoted to those branches of the business in- 
cluded in the bindery appropriate to females, such as 
folding, sewing, stitching, gathering, collating, etc. In 
this department there are thirty-six girls. The sixth 
story is a general depository for stock. The whole estab- 
lishment is heated with steam, which is conducted 
through pipes from the boiler all through the building. 
The first story is lighted with gas, which is often nec- 
essary during dark days, of which there are many in Cin- 
cinnati. The whole establishment has recently under- 
gone a most complete and thorough repair and remodel- 
ing, and every department is reduced to a system of 
operations which would compare favorably with any simi- 
lar establishment. The number of clerks employed at 
present in the Book Room is eight, beside two or three 
in the mailing department. The whole number of hands 
in the bindery, exclusive of the foreman, Mr. Van de- 
water, is sixty-four, of which twenty-eight are males and 
thirty-six are females. 

We now come to describe the printing office j but 
before doing so, as it is on our way, we will ask oui 
reader to pass with us out of the Book Room, on Main- 
street, and, turning to the right, enter with us an avenue 
between the last-mentioned place and the building appro- 
priated to stores, which will conduct us to the old man- 
sion, alluded to above. A fire having recently occurred 
in an adjoining building, which destroyed part of the 
roof of the "mansion," the heavy and elaborately-wrought 

2'Q 



306 



SKETCHES OF 



cornice which once ornamented this ancient building has 
been removed, and the walls run up, the better to protect 
the building from such accidents in future. Befere u»r 
is the spacious double doorway, in front of which is th/ 
massy door-stone, which has been pressed by the feet of 
many who have long since been gathered to the tomb 
At the left, on entering, you will discover over the door 
" Library." This room is nicely fitted up with cases for 
books on all sides; and here may be found a large, and, 
in some respects, rare and curious library. Many an 
ancient tome of Latin and Greek, over which the " old 
man learned" has pored, in the days when tied to the 
linguistic chair in college, or searching for the doctrines 
and rites of the Tridentine councils, that he might pre- 
sent to the world a true delineation of the Mother of 
Harlots or the Man of Sin. But this library is not rich 
in patristic lore alone; it embraces the whole range of 
Biblical literature, and a considerable of what may be 
called general and polite. The rooms on the right are oc- 
cupied by Mr. Boyd, a gentleman connected with the 
Concern, while the rear below is occupied by the faithful 
Charles, the messenger. Let us now ascend the ancient 
stairway. Two flights and we reach the landing, in front 
of which is the room occupied by the Editor of the 
Ladies' Repository, Rev. D. W. Clark, D. D. To look 
at the Doctor's case, which stands to the left there, 
against the wall, with pigeon-boxes labeled to receive 
exchange periodicals, such as quarterlies and monthlies, 
and the most of which seem to be occupied, you would 
think the organ of order was strongly developed; and it 
may be for aught we know; but if you will cast a glance 
at his table you would be led to infer almost any thing 
else. Perhaps, like ourself, he is a great lover of order, 
but can't take the time always to put his odds and ends 
to rights. He is, however, quite good-natured, and, 



western Methodism. 



307 



though he don't like to be bored much, yet will not 
become nervous and lose his balance at our prying looks. 
You will perceive, however, that he has a sanguine tem- 
perament, and it won't do to try him too much; so we will 
pass into the next apartment. It would be well enough, 
in passing, to say, that the Doctor is winning golden 
honors for the Repository, as the increase in the subscrip- 
tion list will abundantly show. This narrow room is 
occupied by Dr. Nast, the Editor of the Apologist, and 
the apostle of the Germans. There seems to be a Ger- 
man air diffused all around this apartment. The Doctor 
is at his desk writing an editorial, or perhaps translating, 
or it may be poring over German and Latin Commenta- 
ries, for the purpose of consulting authorities in making 
his Exposition. He is a kind, good-natured man, a 
fine scholar, and an earnest, evangelical preacher. His 
books, his papers, his assistant, and his very stove and 
table; all seem to be German; and, as we don't under- 
stand his language, let us go into the next room. On 
the right there, sitting on that rocking-chair, with one 
shoe off, and the other slip-shod, with a pile of old manu- 
scripts and papers, and a stray old book or two, lying on 
the table in glorious confusion, sits Dr. Elliott. See how 
incessantly he nods and shakes his massy head as he 
reads on, with his spectacles on the top of his head ! He 
is not angry nor excited, though he thus frowns and 
shakes his head; for he is good-natured and clever, but 
he is deeply engaged and interested. He is an intellect- 
ual giant; and though he looks rough and unpolished in 
regard to his personnel, yet, like the lumbering road- 
wagon of olden time, he bears a precious freight — all 
bullion. 

Do you see on the left there, standing by a desk, with 
several slips of paper with different headings lying before 
him, and the latest papers, a foot or two thick, neatly 



308 



SKETCHES OF 



piled up on the table beside him, a pale, attenuated-look- 
ing young man ? In one hand is a pen, and in the other — 
fearing some official will carry them off — is clutched with 
nervous energy a pair of long, sharp-pointed scissors. 
Well, that is the Assistant Editor, to whom you are in- 
debted for all the news-items, general and local, in the 
Advocate, appropriately arranged in the different depart- 
ments. Poor House ! he goes frequently to the gymna- 
sium, on Third-street, besides walking to the side of Mt. 
Auburn twice a day, and preaching on Sabbath; but, 
notwithstanding all this exercise, he looks cadaverous 
and pale, as though he had been for years shut out from 
the light of day, in some monastic cell, engaged day and 
night with the pen. He bears it all, however, with great 
patience; and there, in his long, office-gown, from Mon- 
day morn till Saturday night, he stands like Patience on 
a monument. 

But we must leave these editors alone in their glory. 
We will now go down the private stairway, and enter the 
printing office in the yard of which you will see a brick 
building for wetting and pressing paper. On the first 
floor of the printing establishment are four Adams 
presses and one cylinder press, on which are printed 
the Advocate, Ladies' Repository, Apologist, Sunday 
School Advocate, and the various books of the Concern. 
These presses are fed mostly by girls. There are in this 
room eight hands. In the room above the mailing of all 
the Church periodicals is performed by seven hands. On 
the left is the German composing-room, with three or four 
hands. Above this, on the third floor, are the compos- 
ing-rooms, in which, including the foreman of the estab- 
lishment, Mr. R. P. Thompson, there are from twelve to 
fifteen compositors. The fourth floor is the drying and 
pressing department, in which there is one hydraulic and 
one screw press. Here there are three hands. In one 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



309 



corner of this room, partitioned off, is a smaller one, 
occupied by Mr. Gale, the very correct proof-reader for 
the Concern, to whom many a blunderer in orthography, 
etymology, syntax, prosody, and punctuation is indebted 
for making him appear respectable in the world of letters. 
Adjoining the printing office is a building erected for the 
carpenter, Mr. Hand, who is constantly employed in the 
manufacture of boxes, and in making repairs about the 
establishment. At the other end of the printing office 
is a building containing two vaults, in which are depos- 
ited the stereotype plates. 

With your permission, gentle reader, we will pass out 
on Eighth-street, and return to the Book Room. We are 
not through yet. We wish to introduce you to the 
Agents, which, perhaps, we ought to have done first ; 
but we can do that just as well now as at any other time, 
perhaps. They are, however, generally known, having 
to travel pretty extensively over the continent, in vis- 
iting the conferences for the purpose of collecting the 
debts due the Concern. The Rev. L. Swormstedt, the 
senior Agent, who has been so many years connected 
with the Concern, we will find in his office at the desk, 
looking over the letters received pertaining to all the 
business connected with the establishment, and which 
are quite numerous every day. So large a Concern re- 
quires his unremitting attention. Before introducing 
you, we will relate what was said of him by one of the 
Commissioners who went with him to Pittsburg in 1853, 
and furnished a description of his colleagues. Here 
it is : 

"Our other friend is, in fullness and rotundity of 
person, somewhat like Falstaff. He seems to live in com- 
fort; and so commanding is his person that he passes 
almost every-where for a bishop. He preaches with 
power; his enunciation is distinct; every word comes 



310 



SKETCHES OF 



out like a dollar from the mint ; lie often utters strong 
thought, and never, I think, drops a foolish remark. He 
has great energy of character ; he perseveres through all 
difficulties, and makes every thing bow before him. 
When he commenced his ministerial career he was a 
slender, fair-haired youth, neat in his appearance and 
gentlemanly in his manners. He had been a. merchant 
clerk. Early in his itinerancy he was placed upon a 
circuit which did not pay the preacher. The amount 
due was estimated and divided among the different 
classes; the year rolled round, and the money was not 
collected. At a certain appointment was a large class. 
After preaching he detained it, and asked the leader 
how much was collected ; and finding a large deficit, he 
stationed the leader at the door, and ordered him to let 
no one out till the whole amount due was paid. Taking 
the class-book, he commenced calling the names, and 
insisted on immediate payment of something from every 
one. Excuses were made at first ; but the resolution of 
the preacher was not to be resisted, and there was a won- 
derful whispering and borrowing of change. Having 
gone through, a deficit was still remaining, and the 
names were called over again. Seeing the difficulty 
of the operation, one of the bystanders who were out- 
side the cabin school-house, put his hand through a pane 
of glass, and offered the preacher fifty cents. 'That will 
not do/ he cried; 'you can not pay the way of these 
people to heaven/ Having gone through a second time, 
there was still something due. The outsider again pre- 
sented himself at the broken pane with his half dollar, 
and so pressed the preacher that he took it, but observed 
that he should put it in the collection — that it could not 
be credited to the class — and then proceeded with the 
third call, which was an effectual one. I need not say 
that he was — as he deserved to be — -paid. For many 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



311 



years the Church has wisely availed herself of his abili- 
ties as a collector and financier. With all his sternness 
and strength of character, he is noted for his generosity 
and kindness of heart. His house is the home of do- 
mestic comfort, well-ordered children, and hearty wel- 
comes ; his purse is always open, his ear attentive to the 
voice of distress, and his tongue ever ready to make con- 
fession if he finds himself in error. He is one of the 
few men who, with great capacities and facilities to 
enrich themselves, have chosen rather to serve the 
Church." 

From the above description, one would think he would 
make an admirable Agent, at least so far as the collection 
of money was concerned; and woe betide you if you happen 
to find yourself at conference a delinquent to the Book 
Concern, without the needful to meet the demands. He 
seems to know no man after the flesh, but will ask you, 
at the conference room, if you have not already been to 
see him, and made payment or given your note, to walk 
up to his room and settle your account accordingly. We 
have more than once encountered him, and if we did not 
know that beneath all this seemingly-rough and threat- 
ening exterior, there was a kind and generous heart, we 
should have set him down as one of the most stern and 
unyielding men in the world. Still, we have very often 
thought he could get along quite as successfully if he 
were to put on a little more of the suaviter in modo. 
God has not constituted all men alike, however; and it 
is a blessed thing that he has not, as it would not do 
in nature to have no rough places. The overhanging, 
craggy rock is relieved by the peaceful vale which smiles 
in beauty at its base, and the storm-cloud, with its fierce 
lightning and hoarse thunder, only makes more pleasant 
and delightful the calm, when clouds and storms have 
passed away. 



312 



SKETC HES OF 



The Church could not well do without Swormstedt 
Having been for so long a time engaged in the business 
of the Book Concern, he has acquired a thorough knowl- 
edge of all its departments and the general detail of bus- 
iness connected with each. We think him admirably 
qualified for the post which he occupies, and if it must 
needs be that the agency be confined to the. itinerant 
ranks, we do not think the intereste of the Concern 
could be better attended to or its business carried on by 
a more efficient Agent than is the present incumbent. 
We are of the opinion that the policy of removing 
Agents just for the sake of rotation in office, is a very 
questionable policy, to say the least of it, and especially 
where such a responsible and complicated business is 
concerned. No man, however great his business tact or 
qualifications, can enter upon such an agency, and be- 
come fully acquainted with its duties short of one term; 
and when we consider that the habits of preachers are 
such as to lead the mind away from the commerce of the 
world, it can not be expected, in the very nature of the 
case, that they could hope to be qualified for such a post 
in so short a time. Hence, when integrity and ability 
are found to exist in those who are already employed in 
this department of the Church, it certainly is the most 
safe and judicious to continue them in office, and not 
remove them for any slight and transient causes, or 
simply from the desire of promotion to office. 

Before describing the Assistant, that gigantic ath- 
lete who sits yonder by the desk in the packing-room, 
making an entry of a bill of books, we will go back and 
describe the old Agent, J. F. Wright, who is now the 
presiding elder of the East Cincinnati district, and who 
resides in a most lovely mansion on one of the beautiful 
slopes of Mount Auburn, concerning which Dr. Dixon 
remarked to us, on his visit here, that it reminded him 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



313 



more of England than any thing he had seen since leav- 
ing the favored isle. In the language of the friend who 
described brother S., "he is a little above the medium 
hight, stoutly built, a little stoop-shouldered, a silver- 
haired, sweet-faced, neatly-dressed man, of good business 
ability, sensible, safe. He has a fine sense of the ludi- 
crous, and enjoys a joke as well as most men; but usu- 
ally he is grave, and in his social intercourse engaging 
and discreet, dropping every now and then some useful 
remark. A smile generally plays upon his countenance; 
he rarely offends; always seeks to oblige; but is firm 
where principle is involved. He preaches plain, prac- 
tical discourses; rarely declaims; and is to be ranked, 
perhaps, with the weeping prophets or and loving evan- 
gelists. He has written a book — a neat biography of one 
of our earlier preachers. Notwithstanding his business 
abilities, his extreme caution, and his forecast, he has 
been overreached, and has recently lost $28,000. He 
bears this with Christian resignation and calmness. He 
is one of those cases which prove that the race is not to 
the swift nor the battle to the strong. I am happy to 
say that he will not be left poor, his good wife having 
property which is not affected by his personal obliga- 
tions. " We should rather be disposed to take him for a 
bishop by far than the present senior incumbent of the 
Book Room; and, if comparisons were not odious, we 
might have something to say about his possession of 
some peculiar qualifications which Le Roi, the king, does 
not, in our judgment, possess, as well as some traits he 
does possess, which would not be very desirable in a 
Methodist bishop. And yet, if he were a bishop, lie 
would, in our estimation, come as near to Wesley him- 
self, and perhaps more so than Coke or Asbury. Certain 
it is, that whatever he would do in the episcopal office 
would be done in the fear of God and with the utmost 

27 



814 



SKETCHES OF 



conscientiousness; and, though some might be disposed 
to question his judgment, none would for a moment 
arraign his motives; for in regard to honesty and sin- 
cerity, he is one of God's noblest specimens. 

It would be well enough, also, in this connection, to 
say a few things about the other Agents. After the 
resignation of Rev. J. F. Wright, in 1844, the Rev. L. 
Swormstedt was elected Principal and the Rev. J. T. 
Mitchell Assistant. Brother Mitchell had received a 
good training in the itinerant ranks in the wilds of the 
west, and, under the precepts and examples of his ven- 
erable patriarch father, himself a Methodist preacher, he 
came into the Concern having nothing to learn, either as 
regarded the doctrines, economy, or usages of Method- 
ism. Having a good education and a ready wit, it did 
not take him long to make himself acquainted with the 
general business of the Concern, and had he been allowed 
to remain, he would, doubtless, have been a valuable ac- 
quisition to the Concern. At the close of his term, he 
took a transfer to the Ohio conference, and was stationed 
four consecutive years in Cincinnati. He is now sta- 
tioned in Urbana, and is the Secretary of the Cincinnati 
conference, beloved and respected by all. His successor 
in office was the Rev. John H. Power, an old and valued 
member of the North Ohio conference, who has made 
himself known and felt in the religious and literary 
world as a preacher, polemic, and author. His works on 
Universalism have had an extensive sale. As a Chris- 
tian and a minister, his character is strongly marked. 
His prejudices, if we may be allowed to use the word in 
an accommodated sense, are strong; and what he believes 
to be right, he will cling to with the utmost tenacity, if 
not doggedness, of purpose. He has the sharp, hard 
features of a Calvin; and yet we hardly think that he 
would consent to the burning of a Servetus, who might 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



315 



differ from him in opinion. Like his predecessor, how- 
ever, he had to go by the board at the expiration of four 
years, and make way for the present incumbent. Since 
bis retiracy he has been appointed by the Ohio, North 
Ohio, Cincinnati, and Kentucky conferences as Agent 
of the Tract Society; and he has entered upon that work 
with vigor; for one of his characteristics is to engage 
with all his might in whatever he undertakes. 

We now come to speak of the Rev. Adam Poe, the 
present Assistant. As already intimated, he has a her- 
culean frame, and none would doubt his being a descend- 
ant of the conqueror of the Indian Big Foot. Brother 
Poe is thoroughly a Methodist, and, though not yet be- 
yond life's prime, has been a traveling preacher for many 
years. A faithful and devoted servant of the Church, 
he is no less faithful to the interests of the Book Con- 
cern, ever ready to spring into the harness and work at 
any post in the establishment. He seems determined to 
understand all the details of business and do the work 
assigned him by the General conference. 

We have given the reader a rough and hasty sketch 
of the Book Concern; but, before closing, we must not 
omit to mention the extent of its present operations. 
We are informed, by reliable authority, that the amount 
of sales during the current year is greater than at any 
former period, and greater than all the sales effected dur- 
ing many of the first years of the existence of the Con- 
cern. In addition to the sales, the Concern issues 
twenty-six thousand copies of the Western Christian 
Advocate, eighteen thousand copies of the Ladies' Re- 
pository, thirty thousand copies of the Sunday School 
Advocate, six thousand copies of the Missionary Advo- 
cate, and five thousand of the German Apologist. In 
view of what has been accomplished during the thirty- 
four years of its existence, commencing with a small 



316 SKETCHES OF 

branch Depository, and gradually increasing to its pres- 
ent giant proportions as a wholesale establishment, what 
mind can calculate its future expansion, or the amount 
of good yet to be accomplished in the great work of 
spreading a pure literature and a Scriptural honness over 
all these lands ! 



WESTEKN METHODISM. 



317 



CHAPTER XXII. 

JOHN COLLINS. 

We have been importuned by several of our brethren 
to give a sketch of this eminent servant of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, embracing such incidents connected with 
his life, and such personal reminiscences as may serve, in 
conjunction with the biography already written, to pre- 
serve a memory of the man. The reader must allow us 
our own free and easy way of describing the life, labors, 
and character of this pioneer preacher. 

Our first acquaintance with him was the result of an 
accident, and one which frequently happened to the pio- 
neers of early times in the western country. It came to 
pass that soon after he had settled on the East Fork of 
the Little Miami, and had built a cabin, and was making 
preparations for farming, his horses strayed away, one of 
which, after traveling a distance of thirty miles through 
the wilderness, in a northerly direction, came to our 
cabin. Knowing it to be an estray, we availed ourself of 
all the facilities the country then afforded of giving it an 
extensive publication, which was done by telling all our 
neighbors, and requesting them to tell all their neighbors 
and every body they saw, that we had in our possession an 
estray horse, with such and such marks about him, which 
the owner could have by proving property. Not many 
days after a stranger rode up to our door, and asked us 
if we had an estray horse in our possession. We told 
him we had, and invited him to alight, hitch his horse, 
and walk in. Thanking us very politely, he did so; and, 



318 



SKETCHES OF 



from the description he gave of the horse, we were satis- 
fied it was his property. We were at once struck with 
the blandness of his manners and his pleasant address. 
He did not seem to have the roughness of the pioneer 
farmer about him, and we never would have supposed 
him engaged in such an occupation. He entered into a 
very agreeable and pleasant conversation about the coun- 
try, the habits of the people, and other matters of inter- 
est. For the short acquaintance, we never met with any 
individual in all our eventful life who was more prepos- 
sessing in his manners. After having partaken of the 
humble fare of our cabin, he made some inquiries in 
regard to the religious privileges of the neighborhood; 
and, finding that there were no meetings held in 
that section, he expressed regret, and exhorted most 
affectionately, with tears, ourself and wife to seek God in 
the pardon of our sins, and embrace the Savior. When 
he concluded, he said: "I will preach in Hillsboro on 
such a Sabbath; will you not come to meeting?" We 
promised to do so. He then said, "My dear friend, if it 
will be perfectly agreeable to you, I should like to pray 
with you before leaving." " Certainly/' said we, and the 
man of God kneeled down, and with a fervency and ten- 
derness which broke up the great deep of our heart, he 
poured out his soul to God in our behalf. His prayer 
was such as only John Collins could make. Our heart 
was strangely and wonderfully drawn toward him, and we 
were won by his sweetness and gentleness. From that 
hour we loved him, and it continued unabated through a 
long ministerial life. We love him still in that heavenly 
world, where, by God's grace, we hope erelong to meet 
him, and enjoy his society forever. He left us with many 
a benediction upon his lips; and when the period arrived 
for him to preach at Hillsboro we were there, and for the 
first time heard him preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



319 



to weeping multitudes gathered from all parts of the 
country. He had removed into the neighborhood where 
he then resided in the year 1803, and having received 
license to preach as a local preacher in New Jersey, 
he improved his gifts in traveling all round the country, 
as opportunity presented itself, preaching the Gospel of 
the kingdom. It was during the time he sustained a 
local relation to the Church that he preached the first 
Methodist sermon ever preached in Cincinnati — as the 
reader has already seen in our sketch of the rise and 
progress of Methodism in this city. Not only in Cincin- 
nati, but in many other places was he the pioneer of 
Methodism. At Columbia, six miles above Cincinnati 
proper, he organized a class; and while he would labor 
with his hands during the week, he would start out on 
Saturday afternoon to some appointment, where he 
preached on the Sabbath j and the day of eternity only 
will disclose the amount of good accomplished through 
his instrumentality in bringing sinners from darkness 
to light, and building up the saints on the sure foun- 
dation of their faith. 

After laboring on his farm for four years, during which 
time he had planted the G-ospel in many settlements in 
the Miami Valley, and being prospered by Providence, 
he found himself in a condition, temporally considered, 
which enabled him to take a wider field of labor. He was 
admitted into the traveling connection in the year 1807. 
His first appointment was the Miami circuit, which, at 
that period, embraced nearly all the section of country 
now included in the Cincinnati conference. Here was a 
field of labor that might have made a soul of less courage 
quail; but he never hesitated at hardships and danger, 
and taking leave of his faithful, affectionate wife and lit- 
tle children, with the sword of the Spirit, relying upon 
the strength of Israel's God, he went forth in his name 



320 



SKETCHES OF 



and power to do the work of an evangelist, and make full 
proof of his ministry. Encouraged by the promise, "ho, 
I am with you, even unto the end of the world/' his glad 
and courageous heart could sing, 

" On these mountains let me labor, 
In these valleys let me tell 
How he died, the blessed Savior, 
To redeem lost souls from hell. 

Nor did the faithful herald labor in vain; hundreds 
heard the glad sound of salvation from his lips, and were 
converted to God through his instrumentality. His next 
appointment was scarcely less extensive. Starting from 
Snow Hill, in Clinton county, he traveled through High- 
land and Ross counties, including all the settlements of 
Paint creek and the Scioto river, down to the mouth, 
thence down the Ohio to the mouth of Eagle creek, in- 
cluding all the settlements on Sun-fish, Scioto Brush 
creek, Ohio Brush creek, including West Union and Man- 
chester; thence across, by the Cherry Fork, to the place 
of beginning. This year he achieved much for our Zion 
in the wilderness, and multitudes were born into the king- 
dom of God. Methodist preachers in those days were 
no sinecures. They sought not ease, honor, or popularity; 
and as for wealth, that was entirely out of the question. 
Their hire was souls, and the hope of an eternal reward 
impelled them onward in the great work in which they 
were engaged. The next two years Collins traveled Deer 
Creek circuit, which included the town of Chilicothe 
and all the settlements west of Lancaster and on the 
Darbys. On this circuit lived an old veteran Methodist 
named White Brown, who immigrated to this western 
country in an early day, and was denominated by the 
Rev. J. Quinn the patriarch of the Scioto Valley. He 
opened his house for the itinerant, and his wide, gener- 
ous heart, as large as a continent, embraced the entire 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



321 



Church and all her interests. His house was the con- 
stant home of Bishop Asbury, in his annual visits, and 
on his farm was the great camp meeting ground, more 
famous in those days than all other places of a similar 
character, on account of the wonderful outpourings of 
God's Spirit upon the listening thousands that would 
annually congregate in its peaceful groves. White Brown 
and his camp-ground were known throughout the entire 
Methodist connection, and a narration of many of the 
scenes which had occurred at this consecrated spot had 
been communicated to other lands. Father Brown and 
his devoted companion have long since gone to mingle 
with the sainted Whatcoat, Asbury, George, M'Kendree, 
and others, in that bright world, 

" Where congregations ne'er break up, 
And Sabbaths never end." 

The labors of Collins on this circuit were atteuded with 
unexampled prosperity. The Gospel river widened and 
deepened in its onward flow, and thousands stood upon 
its banks rejoicing in its fullness. He attended camp 
meetings far and near, and he was what might be called 
emphatically a camp meeting man. No preacher had the 
power of rousing the masses, and holding them by his 
eloquence and power, to so great an extent as the meek 
and sainted Collins. Often have we heard him relate the 
story of the lost child, describing with inimitable tender- 
ness the feelings of the mother, whom he tried to com- 
fort, but who, like Rachel, "would not be comforted, 
because her child was not )" and then, when the child 
was found, with the utmost pathos would he relate the 
joyous emotions of the mother. No tragedian ever suc- 
ceeded better in transferring the feelings of a character 
to his audience in his impersonations, than did the inimit- 
able Collins. So far was he from falling under the charge 



322 



SKETCHES OF 



made by a tragedian to a minister of the Gospel of rep- 
resenting fact as if it were fiction, that he became the 
living embodiment of his theme, and with a soul on fire 
he poured out the living truth till every heart was moved. 
Often have we seen thousands borne down by his impas- 
sioned eloquence like the trees of the forest in a storm. 
And it was irresistible. Steel your heart as you might; 
summon all your philosophy and stoicism; and nerve up 
your soul to an iron insensibility and endurance, sur- 
rounding it with a rampart of the strongest prejudices, 
the lightning of his eloquence, accompanied by the deep- 
toned, awfully-sublime thunder of his words, which came 
burning from his soul, would melt down your hardness, 
and break away every fortification in which you were 
intrenched, while tears from the deep, unsealed fount- 
ains of your soul would come unbidden, like the rain. 
The only way to escape his power was to flee from his 
presence and hearing; for a Boanerges as well as a son 
of consolation was he. Perhaps no man ever combined 
the two elements here alluded to — power and pathos — 
more than Collins. But no pen is fully adequate to 
describe the man, and we doubt if any mind is competent 
to give an analysis of his character, as in it were blended 
strange contrasts and peculiarities, which rendered it 
altogether unique if not entirely sui generis. 

Though apparently a compound of tenderness and 
sympathy, there were times when he would be severe, 
and use the rod. As an illustration of this we will 
relate an incident which occurred in the year 1809, at a 
camp meeting on the Scioto bottom, at Foster's. We 
have abundant reason for recollecting well the time, 
place, and circumstances. The Rev. Thomas S. Hinde 
and ourself, both young preachers, and boiling over with 
a zeal for the cause of God, impatient to see the work 
go on and carry every thing before it, concluded to take 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



323 



the matter pretty much into our own hands. Accordingly, 
we went out into the woods, a short distance from the 
encampment, and commenced singing, for the purpose of 
collecting the sinners around us, whom we intended to 
take by a storm of exhortation. It was not long till a 
large crowd was collected, and many left their tents to 
see what was the disturbance in the woods. The wicked 
feeling that they were not under the restraints that they 
would be were they on the encampment, listening to 
exhortation and prayer, as might have been expected, 
became noisy, and interrupted us exceedingly. We had 
raised a storm sure enough, but how to guide it was what 
had not entered into our calculations. There was no 
telling what would have been the result, as there were 
demons there in the form of men ready for every vile 
thing. Just at this juncture intelligence of this state 
of things reached the ears of brother Collins, and he 
ordered us forthwith to the preachers' tent, where he 
gave us such a trimming for our disorderly proceedings 
as boys do not get every day. This was a chastisement 
which, though severe, did not break our bones, and 
proved of great service to us in after life. 

At this meeting great opposition was manifested by 
the wicked; but, notwithstanding, though it seemed all 
the spirits of darkness had gathered there from the 
knobs, the Sun-fish hills, and the Dividing Ridge, yet 
many were converted to God ; and of this happy number 
many were young people. After the meeting ended, a 
party who were opposed to the revival, and were offended 
at the loss of their young companions who had embraced 
religion, got up a dance. A young man by the name of 
J . Fraley was the leader. The time at length came, and 
youth and pleasure met to chase the hours with glowing 
feet. But hark ! in the midst of the revelry a cry ! 
Some one has fallen in the dance, and he cries aloud, 



824 



SKETCHES OF 



"God be mersiful to me a sinner!" It is Fraley, the 
leader. Consternation is spread over every face ; terror 
fills every mind! Others join the cry, and then and there 
was hurrying in every direction from the scene of that 
gathered throng. Brother John Foster, a local preacher, 
was sent for, and the sound of mirth and revelry gave 
place to the sound of prayer, while the loud laugh was 
exchanged to louder cries for mercy. Then began a glo- 
rious work of God, and many in that ball-room were con- 
verted, and filled with greater joy than ever earthly 
pleasure could give. A joy and peace filled their souls, 

"Which nothing earthly gives, or can destroy; 
The soul's calm sunshine, and the heart-felt joy." 

Young Fraley, when converted, gathered all that would 
go with him, and marched round from house to house, 
singing, shouting, and praying. We were then on the 
circuit, and witnessed the fruits of this glorious revival. 

We will relate an incident connected with another 
camp meeting which we attended, in company with 
brother Collins. This camp meeting was held the same 
year of the one alluded to above. It was on Eagle creek. 
A large concourse of people had collected together from 
all parts of the country. The hour for preaching had 
arrived, and after the congregation was collected by the 
blast of a trumpet, brother Collins arose and gave out a 
hymn. From the manner of his reading it all could tell 
that his heart was filled with emotions too big for utter- 
ance. It was sung as only the Methodists in early 
times could sing at camp meetings. It seemed as if the 
soul of the entire encampment was in the sound, and 
went up to heaven as an offering of praise. When the 
last strains died away upon the solitudes of the sur- 
rounding forest, the man of God fell upon his knees, 
and poured out his full heart to the God of heaven, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 325 

An awful stillness reigned, interrupted only by an occa- 
sional sob or a suppressed amen. Presently the Holy 
Spirit was poured out, and like a rushing, mighty wind 
it came down upon the encampment. Five hundred fell 
prostrate to the ground, either screaming for mercy or 
shouting the high praises of God. The preacher's voice 
was lost, and God was all in all. 

There was something in the person of Collins that 
would at once impress any beholder with the character 
of the man. He was above the medium hight — of slen- 
der form. His head was somewhat massy in its propor- 
tions; one would think rather too much so for his slender 
frame, as it generally was inclined upon his shoulder. 
His eyes were small, but keen and penetrating, though 
deeply sunken in his forehead beneath heavy, overhang- 
ing brows. His cast of countenance was Grecian. His 
motions were generally quick, but graceful, especially in 
the pulpit; and to see him walk along the street with his 
silver-headed cane, which he usually carried in his older 
days, you would at once be impressed with the dignity 
and refinement of his manners. It seemed that the God 
of nature and grace had made him for the great work to 
which he was called. His voice was the most musical 
and penetrating we ever heard, and, as we have already 
indicated, his manner was peculiar to himself. To those 
who were familiar with him there were certain move- 
ments about him which would indicate the state of his 
mind, just as coming events in nature cast their shadows 
before. When you would see his lips compress, and he 
would throw his head aside, slightly elevating, with a 
sort of shrug, his right shoulder, and the tear would 
start from his eye like the rain-drop which falls from 
the heat of the cloud, then you might know that the 
Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and might expect with 
certainty to witness displays of Divine power. 



326 



SKETCHES OF 



In the year 1811 lie was appointed to Union circuit 
"without a colleague. This circuit included the towns of 
Dayton, Xenia, and Lebanon. At the latter place he 
was instrumental, in the hands of God, in accomplishing 
a great work. His preaching was attended with the 
demonstration of the Spirit and power, and a great and 
glorious revival attended his labors, which resulted in 
numerous and permanent accessions to our beloved Zion. 
It was the same year which we traveled Knox circuit; 
and well do we recollect the cheering intelligence which 
came to our ears of the wonderful work of God in that 
town. During this revival John M'Lean, Esq., now one 
of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the 
United States, and his brother, Colonel M'Lean, became 
the subjects of converting grace, and joined the Church, 
with many others, who became distinguished and influ- 
ential members of the Church, some of whom still live 
as the fruits of his ministry. Great good was effected 
through his instrumentality, also, in the town of Xenia; 
and in Dayton, if he did not preach the first Methodist 
sermon, as in Cincinnati, he formed the first class, and 
organized a society, which long ago was divided into bands, 
there being two large and flourishing societies, occupying 
spacious brick churches in different parts of the city, 
besides an enterprising German Methodist Church. He 
obtained a lot of ground in the very heart of the city 
from Mr. Cooper, the proprietor of the town, and, with 
the assistance of the sainted George Housten and others, 
he built thereon a house of worship. 

In the year 1812 he traveled the Mad River and Xenia 
circuit. Being a delegate to the General conference, on 
his way he passed through Fairfield circuit, where we 
then labored, and stopped over Sabbath at the house of 
brother Thomas J. Ijams. That was a memorable Sab- 
bath, and the scenes and associations connected with it 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



327 



will never be erased from our recollection, as we hope 
to carry with us a remembrance of theni, and many other 
happy scenes and seasons which we have witnessed, to 
the heavenly world. Such remembrances will, doubtless, 
augment the happiness of heaven. It was a day of 
spiritual "feasting, of fat things, full of marrow, of 
wines on the lees well refined." The congregation was 
iarge, and as the notice was extensively circulated, mul- 
titudes came from a distance to hear the wonderful 
preacher. 

We don't know — perhaps it was the occasion and cir- 
cumstances that made Methodist preachers great in those 
days; but one thing is certain, the arrival of Collins 
in a neighborhood would excite a hundred-fold greater 
interest then than the arrival of any of our presiding 
elders or great men, or even bishops, can produce at the 
present day. Upon the ears of that immense and deeply- 
interested congregation this flaming herald of the cross 
poured the full strains of the Gospel, and before he had 
finished his discourse, his voice, clear, shrill, and power- 
ful as it was, was drowned, in the louder, clearer, shriller 
cries for mercy, which rent the heavens, mingled with 
the loftiest shouts of praise. 

No man was ever more thoroughly stored with incident 
than was brother Collins. He possessed the faculty, 
in an eminent degree, of weaving into his discourses 
the every-day incidents of life, and of applying them 
with the most admirable judgment to his hearers. He 
was a profound student of human nature; and possessing 
the keenest perceptive faculties, united with his knowl- 
edge of the secret springs of the human heart, he was 
enabled to discriminate so nicely that every sinner felt 
under his preaching as David under the pointed personal 
reproof of the prophet Nathan. 

Some time in the year 1833, when he was traveling 



328 



SKETCHES OF 



New Richmond circuit, in the bounds of which he 
lived, he attended a camp meeting near Batavia. It 
having fallen to our lot, on one occasion, to preach, 
and there being a large concourse on the ground, an 
incident occurred which we will relate, as it was quite 
singular, and we never heard of a similar one before 
nor since. The Lord assisted us, and we had great lib- 
erty in striving to preach Christ and offer his salvation 
to our dying fellow-men. We had progressed about 
two -thirds of the way through the discourse. It was a 
melting, moving time, a mighty troubling of the waters, 
and the excitement seemed to be increasing every mo- 
ment. Right in the midst of our appeals father Collins 
arose in the stand behind us, and touching us on the 
shoulder, he said, " Now, brother, stop ; keep the rest for 
another time, and throw out the Gospel net; it is now 
wet, and we shall have a good haul." We obeyed the 
directions, and sounded the invitation : 

" Come all the world ; come sinner, thou, 
All things in Christ are ready now." 

Every sinner on the ground was moved; the old and 
hardened trembled like aspen leaves stirred by the 
breeze; every eye was suffused with tears. Presently 
there was a move near the outskirts of the congregation. 
There came a mother leading a prodigal son, and falling 
in on each side of her way, by the hundreds, as she 
advanced to the altar, the multitude came. It was a 
time of unusual power, and the work of Grod, from that 
moment, went on gloriously. 

Two years before he closed his effective labors in the 
itinerant field we had the pleasure of being his col- 
league in Cincinnati, and to us it was a season of 
great interest and profit. Here we lived and labored 
lovingly together, threading the streets and alleys of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



329 



this great city in quest of the flock of Jesus, visiting 
the sick, attending the dying, burying the dead, and 
preaching Jesus and the resurrection. But he is gone 
Father Collins is no more. The toils and hardships of 
an itinerant life are ended. 

"He sleeps his last sleep; he has fought his last battle, 
And no sound shall awake him to labor again." 



28 



330 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

NATHAN EMERY. 

With all the efforts we are making to prevent it, ho"v* 
rapidly are the precious memories of our fathers passing 
away ! Notwithstanding the numerous written memori 
als, much of what is known of the eventful times in 
which they lived and labored, dwells but in the recollec- 
tions of a few revered survivors, and with them is fast 
perishing, unrecorded and irretrievable. 

Nathan Emery was born in the town of Minot, Cum- 
berland county, Maine, on the 5th of August, 1780. He 
was blessed with a pious mother, and, through her godly 
admonitions and holy example, lasting religious impres- 
sions were made upon his young and tender heart. In 
the year 179-1, the region of country where he lived was 
visited by a Methodist preacher, and his father's house 
became a preaching-place, a bethel in the wilderness, 
where the man of God lifted up his voice in exhortation 
and prayer. How many will thank God in the day of 
eternity for that system of itinerancy which sent the feet 
of messengers of glad tidings over the mountains and 
through the vales, over the plains and along the rivers, 
to visit the destitute regions and offer the inhabitants 
the blessings of salvation ! Under the ministrations of 
these Gospel heralds, young Emery became an early con- 
vert to Christ, and enrolled himself among the people 
of God. At the age of sixteen he was appointed leader 
of a class, and in this capacity he served the Church 
with all fidelity till he was called, in the providence of 
God, to a more extended field of labor and usefulness. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



331 



Early in the year 1799 he was licensed to preach the 
Gospel, and employed on a circuit by the presiding elder 
till the ensuing conference, when he was admitted on 
trial in the traveling connection, and stationed on Read- 
field circuit. Among the class of preachers admitted at 
the same time, we find the names of Joshua Soule and 
James Quinn, the latter of whom is gone to rest; but 
the former still lives and is the senior "Bishop of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church South. His next field of 
labor was Needham. In the year 1801 he was appointed 
to Union circuit, in the Province of Maine district. In 
the following year he was stationed on the Norridgewock 
circuit; and in the year 1803, at the conference held in 
the city of Boston, he was ordained an elder and ap- 
pointed to the Middletown circuit, where he remained 
two years, and formed an acquaintance with that estima- 
ble lady who afterward became his wife. The next year 
he was removed to the New London circuit. During this 
year he was married most happily to the woman of his 
choice, and never did wandering itinerant make a more 
judicious selection. Amiable, talented, and gentle as an 
angel of light, did this most estimable woman follow her 
husband from field to field of his labor; and united in 
work, as they were one in heart, did she, with gentle 
persuasion, assist her partner in leading souls to the 
fountain of a Redeemer's blood. She shunned no cross, 
despised no shame, for the sake of Jesus ; but side by 
side with her husband did she toil to cultivate Imman- 
uel's land. For a period of nearly forty years they 
journeyed on together over the rough and rugged path 
of itinerant life, strangers and pilgrims, seeking the city 
with foundations whose maker and builder is God. How 
many souls in the morn of eternity will bless God for the 
soft, persuasive eloquence of that mother in Israel, who, 
at the altar of mercy, taught them to look away to the 



332 



SKETCHES OF 



Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world! 
How many souls have been born into the kingdom while 
listening to her instructions, eternity alone can disclose. 
But a few years before the decease of father Emery, her 
sanctified spirit, released from earth, passed peacefully 
away to the land of the blest. 

" But again we hope to meet her, 
When the day of life is fled, 
Then in heaven with joy to greet her, 
Where no farewell tears are shed." 

For a period of more than twenty years Nathan Emery 
labored with great acceptability and usefulness in the 
itinerant field, filling several of the more important sta- 
tions in the New England conference. Excessive labors, 
however, broke down his constitution, and he became so 
much enfeebled that it was necessary for him to superan- 
nuate, which he did in the year 1821. Soon after he 
removed to Ohio, and purchased a small farm at Blendon. 
The next year, his health improving by the health-giving 
and invigorating exercise connected with a farmer's life, 
and being unwilling to be considered as a burden on the 
conference, he asked for and obtained a location. He 
remained in this relation to the Church for a period of 
six years, during which time his Sabbaths were occupied, 
as far as possible, in preaching at different points. In 
the year 1828 he was employed by the presiding elder 
of Lancaster district, Rev. David Young, to travel the 
Columbus circuit as a supply, Samuel Hamilton being his 
colleague. At the expiration of this year, finding that 
he would be able to do effective service again in the itin- 
erant ranks, he was readmitted as a member of the Ohio 
conference, and stationed at Zanesville. 

The appointment of father Emery, as he was familiarly 
called, to Zanesville, was at a time when a crisis had 
arrived in the history of the Church in that place which 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



333 



seemed for a season almost to threaten its destruction. 
That unhappy strife denominated the "Radical contro- 
versy" was then at its hight. Many had left the Church 
under the impression that the government was an oligar- 
chy, and that the membership were oppressed with a tyr- 
anny from bishops, and elders, and preachers which they 
were not able to bear, and ought not if they could; 
through the overzealous labors of the new party, by 
means of sermons, papers, and tracts, scattered broadcast 
over the land, in which it was asserted that the clergy 
had taken away all the rights of the laity, and that they 
were "lording it over God's heritage." Among the num- 
ber of those who left the Church in this excitement were 
several of the more prominent, wealthy, and influential 
members of the society; and when father Emery entered 
upon his labors, every thing pertaining to the Church 
wore a most gloomy aspect. He went, however, in the 
spirit of his Master, and entered upon his work. It was 
not the work of recrimination, however, in which he en- 
gaged. To all the thrusts and taunts of his opponents, 
he made no reply, except to turn his bland and open 
face, wreathed with smiles, which indicated the forgive- 
ness of his benevolent heart. He well knew that fire 
could fight fire; but in the conflict all for which they 
contended would be consumed; and, hence, he went 
straightforward, preaching the blessed Gospel, and visit- 
ing from house to house and from shop to shop, in the 
streets and alleys, speaking a kind word to all he met on 
the subject of their soul's salvation. The people soon 
learned what manner of spirit he possessed, and were 
won by his kindness and concern for their souls to crowd 
to his ministry; and the little old frame church, which 
stood in the rear of the new brick, the foundations of 
whicli he laid, and over the elevation of the cap-stone 
of which he shouted, would literally be packed with 



334: 



SKETCHES OF 



anxious hearers. There, in that old-fashioned pulpit, in 
hearing of the murmuring waters of the Muskingum, 
rolling over their rocky bed, where a M'Kendree, an 
Ellis, a Burke, a Young, a Morris, a Durfcin, a Bascom, 
and a Christie have stood and proclaimed the messages 
of mercy and salvation, the old man eloquent, with his 
face bathed in tears or covered with smiles, rocking from 
side to side, proclaimed the Gospel of salvation and peace 
** in strains as soft as angels use," or in thunder-tones 
uttered the dread language of Sinai. It was not long 
till the hearts of many were touched, and again the altar 
was crowded and souls converted, and the old temple of 
Zion was made to resound with shouts of praise. God 
turned the captivity of the Church, and harps that had 
been hanging unstrung on the willows were struck again 
to loftiest notes of praise. The Lord rendered to Zion 
more than double for all that she had suffered, in grant- 
ing a most glorious revival, which swept over the town. 

At that meeting strange things came to the ears of the 
inhabitants of Zanesville. It was rumored that two stu- 
dents from the Ohio University, one of whom was a son 
of the then Governor of Ohio, had arrived, and would 
preach in the Methodist Church. What was remarkable 
in that day was, that they were Methodist preachers. 
Who had heard, since the days of Wesley, of Methodist 
preachers coming out fresh from a college to preach the 
Gospel ? But it was even so : brothers Trimble and Herr — 
for these were the young men — were found in that old-fash- 
ioned pulpit, and multitudes who had never darkened the 
threshold of the old church crowded to hear the stu- 
dents. God was with them, and many heard from their 
lips the first Methodist sermon. The revival spread with 
power, and hundreds were awakened and happily con- 
verted to God. Good " old David " himself, with his 
whitened locks and streaming eyes, as he would gaze 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



upon the battle of the Lord from his seat in the altar, 
seemed to say, like old Simeon, "Now, Lord, lettest thou 
thy servant depart in peace j for mine eyes have seen thy 
salvation." It was a great and glorious day for Method- 
ism in Zanesville. From that revival went out almost a 
half a score of young men to different and distant parts 
of the country, to preach Christ and him crucified. 

But wonders did not stop here. It was rumored that 
the most eloquent divine that ever addressed a Zanesville 
audience had become a Methodist preacher, and was 
coming back from the east, whither he had gone on a 
visit, to identify himself with Methodism, in a place 
where before he had wondered at the audacity of a 
Methodist preacher in daring to ride along the main 
street. He came, and listening, wondering thousands 
hung upon his lips, if possible, with greater interest than 
they had done before. Under these circumstances, Meth- 
odism in Zanesville gained an influence and standing 
which it has not lost to this day. There are now, in that 
enterprising city, two large churches, both of which are 
in a prosperous condition. 

We must now resume our narrative. After father 
Emery had finished his two years on the station, he was 
sent to Cincinnati, in company with ourself, E. W. Sehon, 
and S. A. Latta, where he labored with his accustomed 
zeal and success. 

The next year he was continued in the station, with 
Thomas A. Morris, now Bishop, and William B. Christie. 
In 1833 he was sent to Marietta, with W. Young as his 
colleague, and the succeeding year to Chilicothe — in 

1835 to Worthington, with W. Morrow. In the year 

1836 he was, at the urgent solicitation of the Directors 
of the Ohio Penitentiary, appointed as chaplain to said 
institution. In this new field, all the sympathies of his 
benevolent nature were taxed to their utmost. He was 



336 



SKETCHES OF 



untiring in imparting instruction, admonition, and com- 
fort to those who, by violation of the laws of the land, 
had excluded themselves from society. His efforts to 
reform hardened criminals was not without its effect. 
Many an obdurate heart was made to feel the force of a 
kindness and sympathy to which for years they had been 
strangers, and many an eye, which had been as a sealed 
fountain, was made, like the smitten rock in the desert, 
to gush forth with penitential tears. All criminals incar- 
cerated within the gloomy walls of a prison are not, as 
some would suppose, lost to hope and heaven. Many 
that we ourselves know have been truly converted, and 
have given evidence thereof in the fruits of righteous- 
ness, years after they have served out their time in the 
penitentiary. No man, with a cold, unsympathetic heart, 
should ever have any control in the instruction or gov- 
ernment of a prison, as the discipline there is designed 
to be, under the regulation of our laws, of a reformatory 
character. 

In the year 1837 he was appointed to Delaware circuit, 
at the close of which, from old age and feebleness, he 
was obliged to desist from labor, and take a superannu- 
ated relation, in which he continued till the day of his 
death. On all his fields of labor in the Ohio conference, 
he was in toils more abundant, ever active and zealous in 
his Master's service. No one ever knew father Emery 
either unemployed or triflingly employed. He was fully 
impressed with the idea that he had one great work to 
perform, and he was straitened till that work was accom- 
plished. His whole study seemed to be to finish the 
work which had been assigned him, that in the end he 
might testify rejoicingly the grace of God. 

The period at last came which was to terminate his 
labors in the kingdom and patience of Jesus. For some 
time before his death he had been in feeble and declining 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



337 



health, yet he still continued his labors both on the farm 
and in the pulpit up to the very close of life. On Sab- 
bath, May 20, 1849, he preached, and gave out an ap- 
pointment for the succeeding Sabbath; but it was his 
last sermon. The following Tuesday he was suddenly 
and violently attacked with inflammation of the bowels, 
from which he suffered most intensely; but he was ena- 
bled to "endure as seeing Him who is invisible." Sab- 
bath at length came, the day on which he had announced 
to his congregation, Providence permitting, he would 
preach ; but instead of going into the sanctuary below to 
warn sinners, and comfort mourners, and build up believ- 
ers, just about the time he should have ascended the 
pulpit he entered the sanctuary above, the building of 
God, the house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens, to wave that palm, and sing that song, and wear 
that crown we have so often heard him glowingly describe 
in his happiest hours. 

He was disposed always to look upon death with some 
degree of dread, and to speak of the last conflict with 
the "grim monster;" and as he saw the hour of dissolu- 
tion approaching, he nerved himself for the dying strife. 
He sought earnestly for dying grace, and that grace in 
rich abundance was given. He realized that the God 
of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob was with him, and all 
was well. After taking leave of his friends, and espe- 
cially his only daughter, Mary, to whom, in the most 
affectionate manner, he spoke many precious words of 
comfort and consolation, he calmly resigned himself to 
die. Visions of glory, however, were reserved for this 
dying herald of the cross, such as he had never witnessed 
before. As he neared the Jordan, and the land of Beu- 
lah spread out its bowers on either hand, like the dying 
Payson he was enabled to see the celestial city on the 
other shore, while he was fanned by its breezes, regaled 

20 



338 SKETCHES OF 

by its odors, and enraptured by its transporting sounds. 
When bis pilgrim feet touched the dark, cold waters, he 
exclaimed, " 0, how gently my Savior leads me through I" 

" Happy soul, thy days are ended — 
All thy mourning days below; 
Go, by angel guards attended, 
To the sight of Jesus, go !" 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



339 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

THE CONVERSION OF A FAMILY. 

"When we were traveling Knox circuit, at an appoint- 
ment called Bowling-Green we were holding a quarterly 
meeting. After the love-feast exercises in the morning 
were ended, and many a soul had drank deeply from the 
fountain of redeeming love, the doors were opened for 
the admission of the congregation to preaching. As 
usual, on such occasions, the chapel was crowded to its 
utmost capacity. Many who never think of attending 
the ordinary appointments of circuit preaching will come 
out on such occasions, and it frequently happens that the 
truth takes effect in hearts that were before wholly careless 
and unconcerned in regard to their spiritual and eternal 
interests. It having fallen to our lot to preach the eleven 
o'clock sermon, we took occasion, in the course of our re- 
marks, to address particularly parents, and, after pressing 
upon them with as much earnestness as we were able, the 
duties husbands owed to their wives, we presented, in as 
forcible a light as possible, the duties of parents to their 
children, but especially the duties of the husband as head 
of the family. We alluded to the fearful responsibility 
resting upon the husband and father, and the guilt in- 
volved in the neglect of such to look after the salvation 
of their families. In the presentation of motives to con- 
tinued and unwearied exertion in behalf of the salvation 
of those God had committed to their care, we referred to 
the loss of such beloved ones to the society of heaven 
and the despair and ruin that awaited them should they 



340 



SKETCHES OF 



die in their sins. "We endeavored to carry our audience 
to the scenes of the judgment day, when wives will rise 
up against their husbands and children against their par- 
ents, and charge them with having been instrumental in 
banishing them from heaven, and shutting them up in 
the gloom of hell. While we preached, the Spirit ap- 
plied the truth to many consciences. We noticed in the 
congregation one man in particular, a rich and influential 
citizen of the neighborhood, who grew pale and trembled 
as we endeavored to pour the thunders of Sinai upon the 
neglecters of salvation, and also labored to show the utter 
impossibility of an escape from the fearful doom of a vio- 
lated law. This man had a large and respectable family, 
and he manifested no more concern for their salvation 
than to secure for them an inheritance and make them 
appear respectable in the world. No sum was considered 
too great to be expended in fitting out his sons and 
daughters for "genteel society," and his greatest happi- 
ness seemed to consist in seeing them figure highest on 
the list of the roll of fashion and folly. He seemed to 
have entertained the idea held by a certain gentleman in 
one of our western towns, who took his daughter to a 
fashionable boarding-school in the east, and who, on 
being asked by the principal what he wished his daugh- 
ter taught, replied, " Teach her to shine." Alas ! that 
so many, and even, we fear, professors of religion, appear 
to be governed by no higher views in . the education of 
their daughters ! This worldliness might do among the 
members of a certain Church we wot of, where, at a 
Bible class, when the question for the evening's investi- 
gation was introduced, "How shall we best teach our 
children reverence for G-od ?" one of the gravest pillars 
thereof rose and said, "Reverence is politeness; and, 
therefore, if I wished to teach my children reverence for 
God I would send them to a dancing-school." But Meth- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



34.1 



odist? have not learned in such a school nor in that other 
•'school of morals" denominated the theater, the prin- 
ciples of morality and the fear of God. We must be 
pardoned for dwelling a little here. As there are many 
professors who speak indulgently, if not encouragingly, 
of the opera, the theater, and the dancing saloon, it is 
time that a note of warning was sounded that would 
break like Heaven's loudest thunder on the ears of such. 

" 0, father," said a blooming girl of some eighteen 
summers, gentle and lovely as a rose of spring, "what 
harm can there be in going to the theater just once, to 
hear some of Shakspeare's best pieces rehearsed by star 
performers? Besides, haven't you got the works of that 
great author in your library ?" 

"I will answer your question, my dear," said the 
father, who was a minister, "by asking another. What 
harm would there be in letting this beautiful glass vase 
fall on the stone hearth just once ?" 

u Ah, but the case is not a parallel one," said the 
daughter. 

"Why not? If it be true that, instead of being a 
1 school of morals/ it is a school of vice, and vice is con- 
taminating to the soul, should it not be avoided? Can 
one take coals in his bosom and not be burned? Can one 
walk amidst a shower of soot, such as often falls in our 
city, and not have her garments soiled ? Besides, who 
knows so well the nature and tendencies of such places 
as those who have been behind the scenes ? And I tell 
you the most eminent tragedian of the country would 
never let his daughters enter the doors of a theater. 
You know Emma, who joined the Church a few Sabbaths 
since?" 

" Yes, I recollect that young lady." 
" Well, she is one of the daughters of that tragedian, 
and she never was inside of a theater. The very form 



342 



SKETCHES OF 



in which you have put this question shows that you are 
convinced of the impropriety of visiting such places, 
because you speak of a single visit, and seem to think 
that no harm can come of a single visit. You well know 
by your education, and I pray God it may never become 
part of your experience, that 

' Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, 
That to be hated needs but to be seen ; 
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, 
She's first endured, then pitied, then embraced.' " 

Since the above conversation the father has heard no 
more from his daughter on the subject of going to the 
theater. 

But where have we wandered ? The gentleman above 
alluded to was seized with strong convictions. He felt 
that his whole life had been wrong, and all his sins and 
delinquencies rose up before him. What to do he knew 
not. On returning home he was met by his kind and 
affectionate family, and some of them, with a laughing 
sneer, asked about the shouting Methodists, whose preach- 
ing and religious exercises frequently constituted the 
theme of discourse. The father had but little to say. 
At length the dinner hour arrived, and the Sabbath with 
that family was a day of feasting; but the father, not 
withstanding the many anxious entreaties, was too much 
oppressed and sick at heart to eat. While the family sat 
down he went into his parlor. We have already said it 
was an affectionate family, and the absence of the parent 
from the table seemed to have deprived the whole of an 
appetite. Dinner was, therefore, soon dispatched, and 
the wife and mother was not long in seeking the hus 
band and father j for she was anxious to know what 
trouble filled his mind. That which he might keep 
from the children she knew he would communicate to 
her. Scarcely had she entered the parlor where he was 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



343 



sitting till his feelings, no longer to be repressed, over- 
came him, and he burst into tears, exclaiming, in sobs 
and broken accents, "0, Mary, I have sinned against 
God and myself, and you and our children, and I feel 
that I must change my course of life, or else we will 
all be lost together. You have been my faithful and 
devoted wife for twenty-five years, and I have never said 
one word to you in all that time about your soul, nor 
have I had any concern for the salvation of our chil- 
dren. Can you forgive me? I have determined this 
day to seek religion and lead a new life. Will you go 
with me in that path of life in which there is no death 
or sorrow ?" 

The wife was deeply affected, and, taking her husband 
by the hand, she said, " My dear William, I have been 
praying in my heart for years that you would take this 
course of life. You thought, perhaps, I was altogether 
careless and indifferent on the subject of religion. How 
often have I desired to talk with you on the subject, but 
my heart failed me ! Yes, William, I give you my heart 
and my hand to journey with you to heaven. 0, bless 
the Lord that I have lived to see this day I" 

"But, Mary, we must take our children with us. The 
dear children that God has given to us must not be left 
behind." 

"Yes, William, it would be a sad and melancholy 
thought to leave them in the broad road to destruction." 
So saying she called them into the parlor. Soon they 
were all in and seated — two sons, men grown, and three 
daughters, the youngest of which being about eight years 
of age. 

The weeping, penitent father rose and addressed them : 
" My dear children, I have sinned against God in that, as 
a father, I have never said any thing to you about your 
salvation. You have never seen or heard me read a 



344 



SKETCHES OF 



chapter in the Bible, nor have you ever heard a word of 
prayer from my lips. I have constantly set before you a 
bad example, and all my influence has been to lead you 
astray from the paths of religion. Now, God has smit- 
ten me with conviction for my sins, and I stand before 
him this day, and before your mother, and before you, a 
guilty, condemned sinner, and if God does not forgive 
me I must be eternally lost. 0, my dear children, will 
you forgive your guilty father? Your mother and I have 
entered into a solemn covenant with each other, before 
God, that we will repent of our sins, and seek the Lord, 
that we may be saved, and we can not enter into the 
path of life without taking all our children with us that 
we may make an unbroken family in heaven/' 

By this time all the children, from the oldest to the 
youngest, were mingling their tears with those of their 
parents. While they were weeping the father said, 
"Now, if you will go along with us, come and give us 
your hands." At this the elder son arose and said, " My 
dear father and mother, if you go to heaven we will not 
stay behind." Walking forward he gave his hand to 
both, and was followed by the rest, who came weeping as 
if their hearts would break. The youngest, not being 
noticed in the midst of the excitement, which increased 
every moment, came up and said, "Father, may not I go 
too ¥*• At this the parents burst out into a loud expres- 
sion of joy and grief, and the father, taking his lovely 
child into his arms, thanked God that he had lived to 
see that day. 

Such a Sabbath evening was never spent in that family 
before. The father and mother bowed with their chil- 
dren before God in supplications for mercy, was a sight 
which caused joy in heaven among the angels. Monday 
morning came, and when the hour arrived they all started 
for meeting. Many were the expressions of surprise to 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



345 



see Mr. and his family all enter the little chapel, 

and take their seats in the congregation, which, on Mon- 
day morning, is mostly composed of members of the 
Church, and the immediate neighborhood. But how was 
their surprise hightened when, on invitation being given 
for persons to join the Church, the father, mother, and 
all the children went forward and gave their hands to the 
preacher! In the midst of the wave of feeling, which at 
this time had risen high, the father asked liberty to say 
a few words, which being granted he remarked, with 
streaming eyes, as follows : " My neighbors and friends, 
I have a word to say. I have not only sinned against 
God, my wife and children, but I have sinned against 
you. What influence I have had in this place has not 
been exerted for good, but for evil. I have been a man 
of the world, and sought only its pleasures, instead of 
being religious and setting a good example. For this I 
sincerely ask pardon of God and of you; and now, by 
the assistance of Divine grace, me and my house will 
serve the Lord. I ask you all to go with us, that we may 
save ourselves and our families. " At the conclusion of 
this short speech the mourners were invited to the altar, 
and soon almost every sinner in the house was on his 
knees, pleading for pardon at the mercy-seat. From this 
moment a great and glorious revival ensued, and more than 
eighty persons were happily converted to God. Reader, if 
thou art a husband or a father, and living without God and 
without hope in the world, go and do likewise, and thou 
shalt save thyself and family from sin and hell. Part of 
the converted family has already passed over the " King's 
highway," and entered the celestial city, and the remain- 
der, like Christiana and her children, are following hard 
after. 0, the blessed ones that have entered heaven! 
No wonder good John Bunyan said, when in his dream, 
heaven opened its gates to let in Christian and Faithful, 



346 



SKETCHES OF 



and the heavenly multitude greeted their arrival, "which 
when I saw, I wished myself among them." 

a A few more days of sorrow, 

And the Lord will call us home, 
To walk the golden streets 
Of the New Jerusalem." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



347 



CHAPTEE XXV. 

JOHN CRANE. 

The subject of our present narrative was born at 
station, about two miles below Nashville, Ten- 
nessee, in the year 1787. Lewis Crane, his father, was 
among the very first settlers in Cumberland, and was one 
of those hardy pioneers who braved the dangers of the 
wilderness, constantly exposed, with his family, to savage 
depredations. At that early day there were but compar- 
atively few means of grace enjoyed by the settlers. No 
sound of the church-going bell waked the echoes of the 
forests with its inviting tones; and it was only occasion- 
ally that a Methodist itinerant, in one of his long and 
weary circuits through the wilderness, following the emi- 
grant population as they penetrated the western wilds, 
would lift up his voice in the log-cabins, or by the camp- 
fires of the almost homeless wanderers, and proclaim a 
full and free salvation in the name of Jesus. Though 
this class of ministers was often despised by black-gowned 
and white-cravated clergymen, with the lore of a theolog- 
ical seminary in their brains, and the powder and perfume 
of the toilet on their hair, and, by way of derision, called 
u circuit riders," «r " swaddlers," yet, had it not been 
for their self-sacrificing devotion, Christianity would not 
have been kept alive in these western wilds. Often have 
these men traveled from block-house to block-house, from 
station to station, and from cabin to wigwam, bearing the 
messages of mercy to their fellow-men, without any 
means of support or any expectation of a pecuniary 



348 



SKETCHES OF 



reward. But the history of one is, to a greater or less 
extent, the history of all those early pioneers of Chris- 
tianity. 

Lewis was not only the first among the adventurers to 
this western wilderness, but he was among the first that 
became religious and joined the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Though Methodists at that time were few in 
number, yet they lived to love Gk>d and one another, and 
cheerfully bore the cross of Him who said, "If any man 
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross, and follow me." Hence, we may readily infer 
that young John, though born in a block-house, in the 
most troublous times of border warfare, was early taught 
the fear of God. At the early age of six he was brought 
under religious influence, and impressions were made 
upon his tender mind and heart that marked his charac- 
ter forever. And here we might remark, nothing is more 
important than giving the mind a proper training in the 
soft and flexible season of youth. The softest breath 
of summer may stir the stem of the delicate flower, while 
the rudest blasts of winter may not move the giant oak. 
In very early life the mind receives impressions that tell 
upon its future destiny. 

" A pebble in the streamlet scant 

Has turned the course of many a river ; 
A dew-drop on the baby plant 

Has warped the giant oak forever." 

The Prussian king, in urging reasons why the children 
of the realm should be religiously educated, said, " The 
youthful mind receives impressions with the flexibility 
of wax, and retains them with the durability of bronze." 
Said another individual, "Scratch the rind of the sap- 
ling, and the gnarled oak will tell of it for centuries." 

Whatever these pioneer Christians learned, they 
learned the importance of giving their children a relig- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



ions education. At the age of twelve John was made a 
subject of converting grace, during the great revival 
which prevailed in Cumberland and all over the west. 
He was regarded as one of the most remarkable children 
of his age; and during this early period of his life he 
frequently exhorted his friends and acquaintances to seek 
religion, with an effect that gave evidence of his wonder- 
ful eloquence and zeal, few being able to resist the wis- 
dom and power manifested in the preacher-boy. Many 
of his young associates were brought under religious in- 
fluence through his instrumentality; and had their par- 
ents possessed the belief that young children could love 
and serve God, and followed up the convictions received 
by proper religious training, many would have become, 
like John, burning and shining lights. We were well 
acquainted with a traveling preacher who had a lovely 
daughter, seven years of age, an only child, and she had 
been taught to pray from her infancy. Once at a quar- 
terly meeting, after all the professors in the house had 
communed, this child, who was sitting by her mother 
weeping, looked up into her face with streaming eyes, 
and said, " Mother, may I go and remember my Savior at 
the sacrament V The mother replied, "Go, ask your 
father, my child." The father was sitting in the altar, 
and the little girl approached him and said tremblingly, 
"Father, may a child take the sacrament?" "Yes, my 
dear," said the father, unable to restrain his feelings, 
"you may come; for Jesus said, 'Suffer little children to 
come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' " 
She then went round on the outside of the railing, and 
kneeled down, sobbing as if her little heart would break. 
It was a moving scene, and the congregation was melted 
into tears, while some cried out aloud. The presiding 
elder, James Quinn, of blessed memory, in the full gush 
of his benevolent heart, when he saw the weeping peni« 



350 



SKETCHES OF 



tent, immediately took the bread and broke it, adminis- 
tering to that lamb the body of Jesus. When he came 
with the wine and said, "The blood of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, hereby represented, preserve your soul and body 
unto everlasting life," his own feelings, as well as those 
of the audience, were intense and almost insupportable. 
He gave it to the child, and just as it touched her lips 
the Spirit was applied, 

" Which with the Wood 
Doth -wash and seal the sons of God," 

and heaven sprung up in the heart of that happy child. 
She was converted, and from that hour became a con- 
sistent and devoted disciple of Jesus. We knew her 
well, and after she had a large family of children ; but 
she kept the faith, and brought them all up in the nur- 
ture and admonition of the Lord. 

If it will not tire the reader, and be considered too 
great a digression from the subject, we will relate another 
incident illustrative of youthful piety, and tending to 
show the negligence of Christians in regard to children. 
At a camp meeting held on C. S. camp-ground, the ven- 
erable Bishop M'Kendree was present and preached to 
the children and young people. On this occasion the 
Bishop noticed a little boy who was much affected. 
Being intimately acquainted with the family, and know- 
ing the child well, he invited him into his tent, and con- 
versed and prayed with him, laying his hand upon his 
little head and commending him to God. That afternoon 
the doors of the Church were opened, and this boy went 
forward and presented himself as a probationer. He was 
received, and continued to attend regularly to his relig- 
ious duties, never absenting himself from prayer meet- 
ing, or class meeting, or preaching when he could attend. 
He was but a mere child, and as he would sit in class, no 
one, either leader or preacher, would speak to him or pay 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



851 



him any attention. At this his young heart was much 
aggrieved, and he was sometimes tempted to go no more; 
but he concluded to hold on till his grandfather, whc 
was a traveling preacher, would visit them, and he would 
speak to him on the subject. At length the grandfather 
came, and when he was sitting alone, one day, he came 
to him, and said, 

" Grandfather, I want to ask you a question." 

"Well, my child/' said the old man, "what is your 
wish?" 

"Well, it is this," said he; "do you think I am too 
young to serve God and belong to the Church?" 

"No, not at all, my child," said the venerable saint, 
with emotion. "Your mother embraced religion when 
she was only seven years of age, and we have many ex~ 
amples in the Bible where children became religious in 
the dawn of life, such as Samuel, and Josiah, and Tim- 
othy; and the Scriptures say, 'Out of the mouths of 
babes and sucklings God has perfected praise/ But why 
did you ask this question ?" 

"At camp meeting," said the child, "when Bishop 
M'Kendree preached to us children, I resolved I would 
be a Christian, and when brother C. opened the doors 
of the Church, I went forward and joined. I have been 
to meeting every time since, and staid in class ; but no 
person says a word to me about religion, and I thought 
they considered me too young to be noticed." 

"Well," said the grandfather, "I will go with you to 
meeting next Sunday, and if the preacher does not speak 
to you when he meets the class, do you rise up and ask 
him the reason. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, grandfather, I will." 

The day came, and the grandfather and child were at 
meeting. When the congregation was dismissed, the 
preacher commenced leading his class, and all were 



352 



SKETCHES OF 



spoken to as usual but the little boy. He made an effort 
to rise, but his heart failed him. The grandfather, 
seeing this, said, " Brother L., little J. has a question to 
ask you?" The child then rose, and, in a simple man- 
ner, gave his experience, not forgetting to allude to his 
not having been spoken to. At this the preacher 
blushed, and the class-leader wept, one after the other 
confessing their delinquency and promising to do better 
for the future. That child Las grown to manhood, and 
has a family, and has been a useful and highly-acceptable 
member of the Church. God forbid that we should 
despise one of these little ones that believes in Jesus! 

But we must resume our narrative. The astonishing 
progress made by young Crane in gifts, grace, and use- 
fulness, was such as to indicate to the Church most 
clearly that he was called of God to preach the Gospel; 
and, accordingly, he was recommended as a suitable per- 
son to be received on trial in the traveling connection: 
His bones had not yet hardened into manhood, and his 
youthful appearance, and slender, delicate frame seemed 
to forbid the hope that he would be able to breast the 
storms and encounter the toils and hardships of an itin- 
erant life. Nature and grace alike had fitted him for the 
work; and, though young, it was evidently the design of 
Providence that he should enter the field of his Lord and 
engage in gathering the harvest of souls. He was re- 
ceived at the Western conference, held at Nolichuckie, 
in Tennessee, in 1807, and sent to the Holston circuit, 
which he traveled six months with great acceptability and 
usefulness among the people. The remaining six months 
were spent on the French Broad circuit. His extreme 
youth as a preacher, his zeal and piety, together with his 
remarkable native eloquence, called large crowds to hear 
him wherever he went, and God owned his labors in 
bringing, through his instrumentality, many a wayward 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



353 



sinner, both old and young, from their wanderings to the 
knowledge of the truth and the salvation of God. 

In 1808 he was removed from French Broad, and sent 
to the Deer Creek circuit, in Ohio, the colleague of that 
eminent man of God, Benjamin Lakin. On this circuit 
he had great influence, and the melting, moving strains 
of the youthful herald found way to thousands of hearts. 
Notwithstanding his great success, he had to encounter 
many fierce and fiery trials ; but out of all the Lord de- 
livered him and made him shine with greater brightness. 
At the ensuing conference at Liberty Hill, he was admit- 
ted into full connection and ordained to the office of a 
deacon. Having thus taken upon himself more fully the 
vows of God, and having consecrated himself more unre- 
servedly to the service of his Master, he was ready for 
any field, however rugged, or any work, however toilsome. 
The wants of the great west were before him, and giving 
himself up into the hands of the appointing power, he 
was sent to the distant Mississippi. For a youth of his 
age, having just passed his minority, it must have been 
a bold and daring undertaking. It was a long and weary 
journey through a wilderness, and, when reached, the 
population was sparse, and that mostly Roman Catholic, 
whose first principles of indoctrination are to hate Prot- 
estants. Surely, nothing but an intense love for lost sin- 
ners and an unshaken confidence in the promise of the 
Savior, " Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the 
world," could have urged him on in this missionary work. 
He went; and the God of Jacob, who sustained and com- 
forted him as he lay upon his rock pillow, was with this 
young soldier of the cross. He went as an evangelist, 
and was successful in the work of planting Churches in 
the wilderness, dedicated to a pure Christianity. Neither 
swamps, nor forests dense and drear, nor broad rivers, 
could shake him from his purpose or impede his way. 

SO 



354 



SKETCHES OF 



Onward, over craggy steeps, and through dells and dark 
morasses, he urged his course, and wherever he could 
track the foot of man he pursued, to bear to him the 
messages of mercy and salvation. 

But his tour of hardship, which he had already borne 
as a good soldier, was not yet ended. He served so well 
and so bravely in this frontier field, on the outposts of 
civilization, that, at the conference in 1811, he was sent 
to Cold Water and Missouri united. In giving him this 
appointment, it seemed like putting him in charge of 
the whole far-western world. The circuit included both 
sides of the Missouri river, and often was he obliged to 
swim his horse across the great "father of waters. " Noth- 
ing, however, stopped this bearer of heavenly dispatches, 
He was charged with a high trust from the court of 
heaven, and God had given him passports, which secured 
his right of way over the whole continent, and to every 
log-cabin and frontier wigwam he bore the messages of 
Heaven. Multitudes believed his report, and to them 
the arm of the Lord was revealed in mercy to save, and, 
doubtless, while we write, many of those redeemed 
through his instrumentality are rejoicing and praising 
God in the upper sanctuary. 

In the year 1812 he was appointed to the Duck Kiver 
circuit. While here, large numbers flocked from all 
parts of the country to hear the words of life. It was 
the year of the memorable earthquake, which shook so 
terribly the southern country. Thousands, by day and 
by night, flocked to hear the Gospel from the lips of this 
sainted youth; and such was his zeal and fervor, con- 
joined with the burning desire that 

" All the world might taste and see 
The riches of God's grace," 

lie literally, like a lambent flame, burned out in the serv- 
ice of his Master. Wearied out with ceaseless labors by 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



355 



night and by day, and subjected to frequent exposures in 
traveling from one distant appointment to another, he 
was attacked with inflammation of the lungs. When his 
disease assumed such a form as to disqualify him from 
preaching, he was at the house of a Mr. Mitchell, where 
all the attention that could be shown him was paid by 
stranger hands. But all efforts were unavailing, and he 
rapidly declined, till it was evident to all that death was 
near, and he would never preach again. On one occa- 
sion his symptoms were of such a nature as to induce 
those who were present to believe that he was dying, and 
it seemed, after a short struggle, that his breath had 
ceased, and he was gone ; but in a short time he revived 
again, and said to his friends, " What hath brought me 
back to earth again ? I have been on the very suburbs 
of heaven and glory." It seemed as if his spirit had been 
trying its wings for the mystic but glorious flight, and 
had returned for some purpose. Shortly after this brief 
trance his father came, and, embracing him in his arms, 
he said, u father, I love you ; but I have a leather in 
heaven whom I love more, and I shall soon be with him 
in glory. My body will soon be consigned to the grave; 
but my soul will put on immortality and eternal life." 
His countenance, always winning and attractive, now 
beamed with an unearthly brightness, and, like the glo- 
ries of the setting sun, throwing back, on its departure, 
the radiance of the better land on which it is rising, so 
his spirit seemed to reflect the radiance of heaven. His 
work was done for earth, his commission had expired, 
and death was waiting to sound his release. With a 
smile upon his lips, he bade his father and friends a last 
adieu, and soared to companionship with angels and God. 
Thus fell the youthful herald of the cross, at his post, in 
the distant wilds of Missouri. 



356 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

WILLIAM YOUNG. 

The subject of our present narrative was the brother 
of the Rev. David Young, a short sketch of whose life 
the reader may find in the " Autobiography." William 
was a native of Virginia, born in Washington county, 
on the 16th day of May, 1786. In the year 1805, when 
he was in the nineteenth year of his age, he was awak- 
ened to a sense of his lost condition, convinced of the 
need of a Savior, and, through the instrumentality of 
Methodist preaching, he was happily converted to God. 
Two years after this he felt it his duty to exhort sin- 
ners to repentance, and entered upon that work with zeal 
and fidelity. Such were his gifts, grace, and usefulness 
in this vocation, that he was adjudged by the Church as 
called of God to the higher oflice of preaching the Gos- 
pel, and, accordingly, in 1808, he was licensed to preach. 
In due time he was recommended to the annual confer- 
ence as a proper person to be received on trial into the 
traveling connection. He was received at the conference 
held at Liberty Hill, October 7th, and was appointed to 
travel Mad River circuit. In the year 1810 he was sent 
to the Tennessee Yalley, where his labors were arduous 
and somewhat successful. 

To show the wide extent of country over which the 
early preachers traveled — we do not allude to the first 
missionaries, such as Burke and Kobler, and others, but 
those who were regular circuit preachers — all that is 
necessary is to follow a sketch of their travels. The 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



357 



next year- — 1811 — we find our brother sent back to Ohio, 
and appointed to the Cincinnati circuit. At that time 
this was a large circuit, and many of the appointments 
were difficult to reach. Presiding elders then had whole 
states in their districts; and at an earlier day several 
states and their contiguous territories were included in 
their field. There were then no public conveyances; but 
from month to month, and year to year, elders, bishops, 
and preachers pressed the saddle almost every day. Now 
one western state suffices to make two whole conferences 
and parts of three others, while a single circuit of olden 
time now makes several districts, and a presiding elder 
can reach nearly all his appointments in a railroad car, 
sitting on a velvet seat; and the idea of a bishop on 
horseback is as novel as it would have been to have seen 
one in a coach in the days of Asbury. 

The person of brother Young was rather robust than 
otherwise, and he possessed a strong constitution ; but. so 
severely were his physical powers taxed in frequent, 
laborious, vehement pulpit exercises, that they at length 
gave way in some degree. He would preach till he was 
frequently exhausted, carried on by a zeal which knew 
no flagging. Every circuit that he traveled was blest 
with a revival of religion. His whole soul was enlisted 
to the utmost of its powers in laboring to save his fellow- 
men. In visiting from house to house, and pouring out 
his prayers and tears in personal effort for the conversion 
of all within reach of his ministrations, added to his 
regular circuit labors, he was a model of a hard- 
working preacher and pastor, worthy the imitation of 
some in the itinerant ranks at the present day. Though 
not a very pleasant speaker, or agreeable in his manners 
in the pulpit, he was, nevertheless, a burning and a shin- 
ing light. He possessed a genial spirit; and such waa 
his urbanity in conversation and the social circle, that 



358 



SKETCHES OF 



all who knew him, whether saint or sinner, held him in 
the highest esteem, and courted rather than shunned his 
society. 

In the month of December, on an extremely cold day, 
this devoted minister started out from Cincinnati to visit 
his appointment at North Bend. The wind blew from 
the river, in fierce and piercing blasts, directly in the 
face of the itinerant all the way. From this exposure 
he took a violent cold, which settled upon his previously- 
injured lungs, producing a hectic fever, which resulted 
in a settled consumption. He was now confined to his 
room, and no longer permitted to engage in his much- 
loved employ. While disease was consuming his system, 
his soul burned with the all-consuming fire of a zeal for God 
and his cause, which made it difficult for him to exercise 
patience enough to keep from going out and warning 
sinners to repent. Sometimes he would be greatly de- 
jected in mind, and the adversary would assail him with 
temptations; but the trial of his faith, being more pre- 
cious than gold, he was enabled to realize would work out 
for him, if faithful to the end, a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. He often expressed fears that 
he lacked that degree of patience and resignation to the 
will of Grod which it was his privilege to possess. He 
sometimes lamented the absence of that full, overpower- 
ing love of Grod which he had experienced when in full 
health and vigor; but he knew not that his weak, ema- 
ciated frame would have sunk under such a load of glory. 
Prayer was his constant exercise, and sometimes it would 
burst out in praise to Grod and the Lamb. So anxious 
was he to be in the field doing battle for the Lord, 
that on one occasion, in opposition to the advice of his 
physician and the entreaties of his friends, but three 
days before his death, he rode out to a camp-ground, 
where the people were adjusting their tents, and waited 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



359 



for the services to begin. He took his position in the 
preachers' stand, looked round upon the tents of Israel, 
and gazing upon the people, he burst into tears, saying, 
u 0, my brethren, I am done with these things now. I 
shall be at camp meeting no more, but we'll meet in 
heaven." He returned home, and before that camp 
meeting closed he left the world in the triumphs of faith, 
and ascended to mansions on high. " For him to live 
was Christ, but to die was gain." 

How often is the Church called to mourn the loss of 
the most useful and talented young ministers ! A heathen 
poet has said, "Whom the gods love die early." The 
Bible tells us, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints f and hence we infer it is more 
blessed to die than to live, if we are the beloved of the 
Lord. A Summerfield, a Cookman, a Blackman, and 
others, have been called away early, even before they 
reached life's prime; and as in nature the brightest 
flowers soonest fade, so in the Church the loveliest types 
of Christian character are soonest taken away to that 
world where flowers never wither, and where loved ones 
always stay. The providence may be mysterious which 
removes these lights from the Church below; but as 
with individuals, so with the Church — all things, we are 
assured, shall work together for her good; and though 
God removes the most useful and skillful laborers, yet 
the work goes on. 

We had but a partial acquaintance with brother Young, 
yet his praise was in all the Churches where he labored, 
and he has left a name better than precious ointment, oi 
all the fragrance of Yemen and Guhl 



360 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXY.IL 

THE CONVERSION OF AN INFIDEL. 

When we were traveling the Cross Creek circuit, in 
the year 1814, one of the most wonderful manifestations 
of divine grace, in the awakening and conversion of an 
infidel, occurred that we were ever permitted to witness 
during our whole itinerant career. There lived in the 
bounds of the circuit, not far from Steubenville, an infidel 
of wealth and distinction. He belonged to the French 
school of infidelity, which, in the Reign of Terror in 
France, had, in consequence of its disgust at the crime? 
and corruptions, and mummeries of Romanism, renounced 
all religion, vetoing Christianity, deifying reason, and 
writing over the cemeteries, u Death an eternal sleep." 
He was a devoted student of Voltaire, and Rosseau, and 
D'Alembert, and being educated and talented but few 
were able or felt disposed to meet him in argument on 
the subject of religion. Indeed, he was a terror to all 
Christians in the neighborhood, and he never lost an 
opportunity to instill his infidel principles into the minds 
of all who would listen to his deceptive and dangerous 
philosophy — falsely so called. He was a man of great 
influence in the county, and all that influence wad thrown 
into the scale of infidelity. His principles were not only 
destructive of the general morals of the community, but 
were insidiously working their way into the impressible 
minds of the young and rising generation, poisoning 
them with infidelity. When he met with one equally 
well skilled in argument, and capable of showing the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



361 



sophistry of his reasoning, and of tearing off the vail 
from the hideous form of the monster infidelity, he never 
would fail to fly to that last resort of infidels as their test 
of truth, ridicule, well knowing how potent such a weapon 
is in skillful hands. Where few can reason all can laugh, 
and as the depraved human heart is always on the infidel's 
side, often has the multitude, which usually collected in 
those days around disputants, been excited to laughter at 
the sallies of wit and ridicule the infidel would bring to 
bear upon his antagonist. 

Where the majority were irreligious it was easy to see 
how fearful would be the odds against the Christian, 
though armed with the panoply of truth. What men 
wish to be true they require but little evidence to con- 
vince them of its truth; and, on the other hand, what 
they do not wish to be true no amount of evidence is 
sufficient to convince them of its falsehood. The sinner 
would gladly believe, though there is a God, that the ter- 
rible denunciations which he has made against sin are 
the mere product of priestcraft, gotten up to frighten 
people into a belief of Christianity, and any denial of 
that fact, supported by the merest semblance of an argu- 
ment, would be seized with the greatest avidity, even as 
a drowning man would catch at a straw. As an illustra- 
tion of this, we once heard a public speaker, in a court- 
house, haranguing a large crowd on the subject of relig- 
ion. He had much to say about the priestcraft of ortho- 
dox preachers, and labored hard, and, as he thought, 
successfully, to prove that there was no hell; that it was 
all a mere bugbear to frighten the weak and credulous. 
One of his audience, a wealthy planter, on a visit from 
the far south, seemed to be in ecstasies at the preaching, 
and could scarcely restrain himself from shouting aloud 
his approbation. Good news from a far country, or cold 
water to a thirsty soul, could not have been more refreshicg 
31 



362 SKETCHES OF 

to the southerner than the glad tidings of this discourse. 
At length the speaker closed, and came down from the 
judge's bench, where he had been standing. The crowd 
gathered around him, but none were so eager to grasp his 
hand as the planter. " God bless your dear soul," said 
he, " I thank you a thousand times for that sermon. It's 
all true, every word of it, and commends itself to the 
reason of man." But, as he was turning to go away, a 
new thought seemed to strike him, and returning to the 
preacher, he said, " Your sermon is true — true, no doubt 
of it in the least, sir; but, by hell, I'll give you a hogs- 
head of tobacco if you will insure it." There is the 
difficulty. Infidels fear that religion is true. With the 
best of them, in their brightest, happiest hours, there is 
"a fearful looking-for of judgment." 

But we must resume our narrative. This infidel would 
not attend any religious meetings, and paid a total disre- 
gard to all the institutions of religion. Strange as it 
may seem, with all his avowed infidelity and unblushing 
opposition to religion, he was chosen to represent the 
county in the Legislature of the state. God save us 
when our liberties and rights are intrusted to the hands 
of those who neither fear God nor regard man; for, 
though we could not make religion a test of qualification 
nor require a profession thereof as indispensable to a legis- 
lator, we would, nevertheless, require in the candidate for 
public favor, a decent respect for the opinions and rights 
of others. If it may be argued that men of infidel sen- 
timents have been good statesmen and patriots, and have 
served their country with fidelity, we reply, their states- 
manship and patriotism were not the result of their infi- 
delity, but they existed in spite of it. 

The family of the subject of our narrative consisted 
of a wife and one child — a lovely daughter, beautiful and 
accomplished, having received what is termed a polite 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



363 



and fashionable education. The mother was alike infidel 
in sentiment with the father, and ; of course, as it was 
with the father and mother, so it was with the daughter. 
Her youthful mind was made to take into its first impres- 
sions the blank and cheerless doctrines of infidelity. 
One has said, "Of all the melancholy sights that meet 
the gaze of mortals, nothing is half so drear and desolate 
as that of an infidel mother. For her there is no God 
and Savior; no bright and cheering hopes of immortality 
and eternal life beyond the grave. Home, with its en- 
dearments and angel faces, was designed to remind us 
constantly of the family of God in heaven; but where 
the cold night of infidelity reigns, and no voices of 
prayer and praise are heard, life is a dull, leaden dream, 
and death an eternal sleep. " This lovely girl, notwith- 
standing the cold and dreary sphere in which she had 
taken her existence and moved, was, nevertheless, of an 
amiable disposition. She was the infidel's daughter, and 
the child of a prayerless mother; but yet she possessed 
a genial mind and a trusting heart. We have heard it 
said of some, "they are naturally religious," and if it 
were possible for any to have a native religious character 
such might be ascribed to her. But, like the young ruler 
whom Jesus loved for his amiability of disposition and 
morality of conduct, she lacked one thing, and that was 
the regenerating grace of God, without which all natural 
graces will prove unavailing as requisites for heaven. 

Not a very great distance from her father's residence 
there was a preaching-place, where the Methodist itiner- 
ants held meeting regularly every two weeks. A special 
meeting had been appointed to continue several days, 
and as the father was absent at the Legislature, she went 
to the meeting without the knowledge of her mother. 
Dressed, as she was, in fashionable style, when she 
entered the rude cabin, and took her seat among the 



SKETCHES OF 



old-fashioned Methodists, she became an object of gen- 
eral attention, quite as much so as an old-fashioned 
Methodist now would be if she were to come into one of 
our fashionable congregations with her plain gown and 
Quaker bonnet. But she did not come out of mere idle 
curiosity ; she was strangely drawn to the house of wor- 
ship, and there was a power at work, in regard to the 
nature of which she was unconscious. She had, as we 
have already seen, been reared in utter ignorance of re- 
ligion, and all that she was taught concerning it was, 
that it was a system of priestcraft; and though there 
might be some honest, deluded professors of religion, the 
most of them were arrant hypocrites. She never read the 
Bible ; for her father considered it too immoral a book to 
put in his daughter's hands, preferring the writings of 
French infidels, and even the blasphemous scurrility of 
Paine himself, to that book. Beside this, she nevei 
heard a Gospel sermon, being prevented from attending 
all religious meetings. Of course to her every thing 
was new; and though she could appear with ease and 
grace in the drawing-room or gilded saloon, she felt 
embarrassed in the midst of a worshiping assembly. 
She composed herself, however, as well as she was able; 
and when the preacher rose, and with solemn voice an- 
nounced the text, " God so loved the world that he gave 
his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life," her attention 
was absorbed. This was the first and all of the Gospel 
she had ever heard, and it sounded strangely in her ears. 
She had read Rosseau's opinion of Jesus Christ, and was 
disposed to look on him as an innocent, upright man, and 
she coincided with him in opposition to other infidel wri- 
ters who had asserted that he was an impostor. When 
the preacher fully opened his theme, representing God's 
love in sending his Son into the world to die for us ; and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



365 



the love of Christ in coming and taking upon himself 
our load of guilt and shame, illustrated by scenes drawn 
from real life, and enforced and applied to the listening 
audience, the heart of the young girl was broken up, and 
she wept aloud. Every eye was suffused in tears, and 
many were the warm and ardent prayers that went up to 
heaven in behalf of that weeping one. 

When the meeting was ended she returned home ; but 
so deeply was she affected by what she had heard that it 
was impossible for her to conceal her feelings from her 
mother, who, in a stern voice, asked her where she had 
been, almost as soon as she entered the sitting-room. On 
being informed that she had been to meeting, she became 
very much excited, and said, in an angry tone, "If you 
go again those ignorant fanatics will ruin you forever; 
and if it comes to your father's ears that you have been 
to Methodist meeting, he will banish you from the house; 
besides, you ought to know better. The instructions you 
have received should guard you against all such impropri- 
eties, and I hope hereafter I shall never hear of your 
being at such a place. " 

Night came, and with it came the hour for meeting. 
Now commenced a conflict in the mind of the daughter. 
She had never disobeyed her mother, nor did she ever 
feel disposed to act contrary to her wishes in any respect; 
but her heart longed for the place of prayer, and she felt 
strongly drawn to it by a secret, invisible agency she 
could not resist. " Shall I," said she to herself, "diso- 
bey my mother, and incur the displeasure of my father, 
and perhaps banishment from home ? But the preacher 
said that 'the Savior of the world declared that "who- 
soever loveth father or mother more than me is not wor- 
thy of me; and whosoever will not forsake father and 
mother for my sake and the Gospel's, shall not enter 
heaven." ' I will forsake all for Christ." The crisis 



366 



SKETCHES OF 



had come; the gate was passed; and her joyous destiny 
was sealed forever. She left her home and went to meet- 
ing. An inviting sermon was preached, at the close of 
which seekers of religion were invited to kneel at the 
mourner's bench, and pray for pardon. No sooner was 
the invitation given than she pressed her way through 
the crowd, and fell upon the bench, crying for mercy. 
Her full heart now poured forth its griefs in sobs and 
fervent prayers. The whole congregation was taken by 
surprise, and filled with utter astonishment at the scene, 
knowing, as the most of them did, the utter contempt in 
which her father and mother held religion and all relig- 
ious exercises. Surely, thought they, this must be the 
special interposition of God, and every heart was lifted 
up in fervent prayer in her behalf. There, at that 
mourner's bench, she struggled in agonizing prayer for 
two hours. It was apparently the noon of night, and yet 
she was not converted. Never was mourner more deeply 
engaged. She had made the last resolve. One after 
another of the faithful had poured out their hearts at the 
mercy seat in her behalf; hymn after hymn was sung, as 
only those can sing who sing with the spirit ; but still 
she came not through the dark valley. Faith began to 
flag, and some thought the penitent must disrobe herself 
of her hat, and plume, and flowers, and ruffles, ere the 
Lord could bless. But G-od looks at the heart, and he 
saw, down deep in its own recesses, a soul absorbed in 
grief, conscious of nothing but its guilt and sin. At 
length the last hymn was rolling up from swelling hearts 
and tuneful voices to heaven. The last stanza was reached, 

"Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord, 
Whose hopes, still hovering round thy word, 
"Would light on some sweet promise there, 
Some sure support against despair;" 

and as the last strain sounded in the ear of the penitent, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



367 



she gently threw back her head, and opened her calm 
blue eyes, yet sparkling with tears; but they were the 
tears that told of sins forgiven. She had emerged from 
the darkness, and the light of heaven was beaming upon 
her happy countenance, and an unearthly radiance gleamed 
like a glory on her brow. If before she was beautiful, 
now that she was adorned with heavenly grace one might 
think she could claim kindred with the skies. She arose, 
and embraced in her arms the sisters who had prayed 
with her, and pointed her to the Lamb of God, who 
taketh away the sin of the world. She had passed the 
noon of many a night in scenes of guilty mirth and rev- 
elry, where she was the foremost of the band, the fairest 
of the fair; but never did such joy and gladness come to 
her soul as she experienced on that occasion. She re- 
turned home, feeling now that she could gladly bear any 
thing for the sake of her Lord and Master. When she 
arrived she related to her mother what had occurred, and 
exclaimed, " 0, how precious is the Savior V She would 
have embraced her mother in her arms ; but she repulsed 
her and reproached her, telling her that if she did not 
cease her nonsense she would drive her away from the 
house, and that she had disgraced the family and ruined 
herself forever. She retired to her room, and spent the 
remainder of the night in prayer and praise to Grod. 

Soon it was noised abroad that the infidel's daughter 
was converted; and some of his friends, supposing, doubt- 
less, that they would render him great service, wrote to 
him on the subject, giving him the most absurd and 
ridiculous accounts of her exercises while at the mourn- 
er's bench, and after she was converted. When Mr. P. 
received this intelligence he was greatly enraged, and 
swore that he would banish his daughter from his house., 
and she should be entirely disinherited and disowned. 
All this moved not the converted daughter ; for she real- 



363 



SKETCHES OP 



ized the truth of the Divine declaration, ""When my 
father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take 
me up." The day was at length fixed for his return 
home, and Eliza — for that was the daughter's name — 
placed herself at the window to watch his arrival. In 
the afternoon he was seen approaching on horseback, and 
Eliza hastened out to the gate to meet her father. When, 
with a pale, sweet countenance, she stepped up to her 
father to embrace and kiss him, he rudely seized her by 
the arm, and, with his horsewhip, whipped her out of 
the gate, telling her to begone, and, with many curses, 
forbidding her return. Sadly she went weeping down 
the lane ; but she thought of what her Savior had suf- 
fered for her, and her heart was staid up under the 
mighty load which oppressed it. She realized then, to 
its fullest extent, what it was to love the Lord Jesus 
more than all else besides. Though she had lost natural 
friends she had found spiritual friends. That "manifold 
more in this life, and in the world to come life everlast- 
ing," is what only religion can give. 

1 ' Like snows that fall where waters glide, 

Earth's pleasures fade away ; 
They rest in time's resistless tide, 

And cold are while they stay. 
But joys that from religion flow, 

Like stars that gild the night, 
Amid the deepest gloom of woe, 

Shine forth with sweetest light." 

Not far from her father's residence lived a pious Meth- 
odist — a poor widow — and she was apprised of the state 
of things at the house of Mr. P. When she saw Eliza 
coming to her house one evening, she was not at a loss 
to conjecture the cause. The poor widow gave her a cor- 
dial reception, and spoke to her words of kindness and 
comfort. Eliza asked permission to go into the little 
room, and be allowed to remain there undisturbed. No 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



369 



sooner was she alone than she fell upon her knees, and 
commenced pouring out her soul to God in prayer for her 
wicked father and mother. 

But we must return to the father. As he gazed after 
Eliza, who went sobbing down the lane, it seemed as 
though a thousand fiends of darkness had taken posses- 
sion of his soul. He went to the house, and met his 
wife; but she was equally wretched, having witnessed 
what was done. He sat down. They spoke not, except 
in monosyllables. The supper-hour arrived, but he re- 
fused to eat, though he had been riding all day. Now 
and then a groan would escape his lips. He went to his 
library, and turned over his books and papers ; but it was 
in a hurried manner, and with a vacant look. At length 
he retired to his chamber, but not to rest. Sleep had 
forsaken his eyelids, and if he did close them, the sweet, 
angel face of his banished Eliza would send daggers to 
his soul. Thus he spent a sleepless night. Next day he 
wandered about over the farm, and through the woods, 
like one seeking, with the greatest anxiety, for something 
that was lost. It was evident to all that there was some- 
thing resting upon his mind that greatly troubled him. 
The cause of that trouble his proud, infidel heart would 
not allow him to disclose, even if the human heart were 
disposed to lift the vail from the secret sanctuary of its 
bitterness. Unable to find rest he again sought his 
chamber; but, alas! his anguish increased, and he began 
to see the shallowness of his infidelity, and also its dark, 
horrid nature, in that it could prompt him to drive his 
lovely, and otherwise obedient daughter from his house, 
simply because she had become a Christian. From that 
moment he was a changed man — not that he was con- 
verted ; but from a hard, impenitent sinner he was 
brought to relent and pray. There he prayed for hours; 
but not one ray of hope penetrated his darkness. His 



370 



SKETCHES OF 



abused and banished Eliza would rise before him, and his 
convictions increased, till he raved like the demoniac 
amoDg the tombs of Gadara. It seemed as if he would 
not be able much longer to support the mountain weight 
that was crushing him ; for the sorrows of hell got hold 
upon him, and he anticipated the pain of the second 
death. Flying from his room, he called his servant- 
boy, and ordering him to saddle Eliza's horse and mount 
another, he directed him to go to every house in the 
neighborhood in quest of his daughter, and if he found 
her to bring her home. Seeing that his orders were 
immediately obeyed, he returned to his chamber; but 
the load that pressed upon his heart was removed, and 
the anguish that drank up his spirits was gone. He was 
comforted, but not converted. The raging deep waa 
calmed, but the sun shone not upon its dark waters. He 
walked out into the garden, and there, beneath Eliza's 
favorite bower, he kneeled down, and again lifted up his 
heart and commended himself to God. Scarcely had his 
knees touched the ground till the Sun of righteousness 
arose, with healing in its beams, upon him, and per- 
vading all the great deep of his mind, lighted it up 
with the peace and calm of heaven. 

For twenty-four hours, without eating or sleeping, 
Eliza remained in that widow's room, engaged in earnest 
supplication for her father. The pious mother in Israel, 
in looking out of her window, as the day was drawing to 
a close, saw the servant coming with two horses, and she 
ran immediately into the little room, exclaiming, u Eliza, 
arise, your father has sent for you. I see John coming 
with your horse and saddle." The happy child arose, 
and burst out in rapturous exclamations of praise to God 
for his goodness and mercy in touching her father's 
heart. She was soon in her saddle, and the faithful 
charger bore her fleetly to her home as if proud of his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



371 



burden. When in sight of home she saw her weeping 
father, standing at the same gate from whence, on the 
evening before, he had driven her a fugitive abroad. 
She sprang from her horse into his arms, and embracing 
his child with a love he never experienced before, he 
exclaimed, " My angel of mercy, I give you my heart and 
my hand to travel with you to the heavenly inheritance." 
It was a happy family; for the mother was soon con- 
verted, and joined with the father and daughter in the 
service of God, and they all continued faithful disciples 
of Christ till they were called from the Church militant 
to the Church triumphant in heaven. 



372 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

ALEXANDER CUMMINS. 

Among that class of preachers, distinguished for zeal 
and talents, who entered the itinerancy in the great 
west in the beginning of the nineteenth century, was 
rhe Rev. Alexander Cummins, a short sketch of whose 
life and labors we propose to give. He was born in Albe- 
marle county, Virginia, September 5, 1787. His parents 
sent him to school, and he received a liberal education 
foi that day. In the twentieth year of his age, after 
having removed to Ohio and settled in the Scioto Valley, 
he was awakened to a sense of his lost condition as a 
sinner, and, after a severe struggle against sin and tempt- 
ation, he at length was soundly converted, and entered 
the path of life. Being awakened and converted through 
the instrumentality of the Methodist pioneers, he con- 
nected himself with the Methodist Church as the one of 
his choice. It was not long till he became deeply and 
intensely exercised on the subject of calling sinners to 
repentance, and offering the cup of salvation, whose life- 
giving waters had so quickened and refreshed his own 
soul, to the souls of his fellow-men. He saw the world 
lying in wickedness, and guilty multitudes pressing on 
the way to death and hell, and his spirit was stirred 
within him to go out and warn them to flee the wrath to 
come. The same mercy which had been manifested in 
his own behalf, he was assured would be extended to 
others. His feelings could not be concealed. The Lord 
had called hiim. and the Church was not long in discov- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



ering that the concern of mind under which he labored, 
associated, as it was, with grace and gifts of no ordinary 
degree, united in constituting an indication of the will 
of Gi-od that he should enter the ministry. While the 
Church prayed " the Lord of the harvest that he would 
send forth laborers," she was ever watchful of the result, 
and waited for an answer, not by any miraculous interpo- 
sition, but that God would, from their own number, raise 
up, call out, and qualify, by his Spirit, faithful messen- 
gers of salvation. Hence, the subject of this sketch was 
soon recognized as the called of the Lord, and license 
was given him as a local preacher. 

At the conference held in Cincinnati in the year 1809, 
between two and three years after his conversion, he was 
admitted on trial in the traveling connection, and ap- 
pointed to Brush Creek circuit. He went out in the 
spirit of his Master, and labored with a zeal and devo- 
tion which gave evidence that he felt the burden of souls 
as a mountain pressure resting upon him. If he could 
have had the time to turn aside from the rough and rug- 
ged toils of itinerant life and cultivate the flowers of lit- 
erature, he had no disposition. He was "a man of one 
book" and one work, and, by night and by day, he ex- 
horted sinners to flee the wrath to come. Filling out his 
appointed time on Brush Creek, he was next year sent to 
Pickaway circuit, where the same zeal and devotion char- 
acterized his labors. The ensuing years he traveled sue 
cessively Delaware and Deer Creek circuits, on the latter 
of which he remained two years. During his labors he 
suffered many hardships and privations; and such was his 
burning, unconquerable zeal that his constitution gave 
way. The sword proved too sharp for the scabbard, or, 
in other words, his flaming spirit consumed the earthly 
tabernacle in which it was lodged. Rest was inevitable, 
as his overtaxed strength would not be able to stand 



374 SKETCHES OF 

another year of toil without it; and he must cease from 
toil or cease to live. Accordingly, he was induced to be 
left without an appointment for one year. But, alas ! is 
there any rest for a Methodist preacher? Then they 
were poor and almost friendless, and when they were 
obliged, from want of health, to desist from preaching, 
it was absolutely necessary that they should work, or 
starvation would ensue. The Church then, and now, to 
a very great extent, virtually says to its preachers as a 
certain master once said to his servants on a holiday, 
"Boys, you may quit work and go to piling boards for 
the balance of the day, seeing it is Fourth of July." 
Teaching school in those days was a drudgery and toil that 
would not be likely to insure much rest to the body and 
quiet to the mind. In this employment Cummins en- 
gaged, and at the close of the year he became again 
effective, and entered the itinerant ranks. He was ap- 
pointed to the Miami circuit, which, at that time, em- 
braced an extensive and laborious field. The two follow- 
ing years he was stationed in Cincinnati, at the expiration 
of which term he was sent to preside over the Kentucky 
district. In that field he labored with his usual zeal and 
fidelity in the cause of his Master, and thousands in the 
day of eternity will thank Grod that they ever heard the 
voice of Alexander Cummins. Having filled his mission 
as the servant of the Church in Kentucky, he returned 
to Ohio, and was appointed presiding elder of the Miami 
district, where he labored two years, at the expiration of 
which time "he ceased at once to work and live." The 
following tribute of respect was paid to the memory of 
this sainted man by the Kev. Russel Bigelow, one of his 
cotemporaries, which we copy from the Methodist Maga- 
zine, Vol. VII, being an extract from the funeral sermon, 
delivered by that eloquent and powerful preacher : 
"Alexander Cummins was a man of a sound mind and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 375 

good judgment, particularly in spiritual matters. He took 
considerable pains to improve his mind by reading and a 
close application to study. As a man and acquaintance, 
ne was kind, and agreeable, and very much respected. 
As a husband, he was affectionate and provident. As a 
parent, he was tender, yet strict and particular. As a 
Christian, he was humble, pious, devout, sober, and 
cheerful. As a minister, he was regular, zealous, accept- 
able, and useful. His language was good; his sermons, 
in the general, pointed and weighty. His talents were 
not the most brilliant, but his greatness consisted in va- 
riety and goodness And such was his zeal, variety, and 
usefulness, that few, if any, were more acceptable or pop- 
ular. His success has been more than ordinary. I have 
been informed that many were converted during the first 
years of his ministry. The first information I ever re- 
ceived concerning him was just after he had left his 
third circuit. I formed an acquaintance in several 
neighborhoods in that circuit, in which his zeal and 
usefulness were much spoken of; and when I traveled 
that circuit nine years afterward, I found several of his 
spiritual children, who were still pressing through diffi- 
culties on their journey to the promised land. My ac- 
quaintance with him commenced in the latter end of the 
year 1815, at which time we were appointed to labor 
together on the Miami circuit. I was young and inex- 
perienced, but in him I found a father, an instructor, 
and a firm friend. Long shall I remember the good ad- 
vice and many instructions I received, and the pious ex- 
amples set before me by the beloved minister whose 
funeral sermon I preach. He labored that year with dil- 
igence, zeal, and success. His zeal, piety, and useful- 
ness, while stationed in Cincinnati the two following 
years, I need scarcely mention; you, my brethren, are 
his record; you call to recollection his piety, his devo- 



376 



SKETCHES OF 



tion, his fervor, his diligence, his watchfulness, his anxi- 
ety, his pathetic sermons, his fervent prayers. You call 
to recollection the happy hours you enjoyed under his 
ministry; and many of you, I presume, consider him as 
the instrument of your conversion. You view him as 
your spiritual parent under God, and will have cause to 
praise God forever that you have had the privilege of sit- 
ting under his ministry. The three years he labored as 
a presiding elder in Kentucky, he was acceptable and 
useful, highly esteemed by preachers and people. His 
rides were long, and, in some parts, rough and mount- 
ainous, and his labors so abundant as to exhaust his 
debilitated system. The district he has traveled the two 
past years is also large and very laborious. He, how- 
ever, performed his duties acceptably and usefully, but 
with great pain, often traveling and preaching when he 
ought to have had rest, particularly the last six months. 
I have already said considerable concerning our departed 
brother; but I can not forbear mentioning his wisdom 
and firmness as a governor in the Church. It was here 
he excelled; here his true greatness appeared. He was 
not one of those hasty, rash sort of men, but firm and 
fixed. His weakly constitution, which was severely 
racked with incessant labor, was often attacked with 
wasting disease; but he bore all with Christian patience. 
About six months before his death he was severely af- 
flicted with the measles; but, by the Divine blessing, he 
partially recovered, and entered again upon his work. 
And I think it probable that his exertion, before he was 
fully restored to health, was one cause of bringing on the 
disease which terminated his earthly career. He visited 
the circuit of which I had charge but a short time before 
he was taken with his last sickness, and seemed equally 
diligent and fervent as formerly, though hardly able to 
be about. He left our camp meeting on Sabbath evening, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 377 

and came home. On the following Friday, rode out to 
Mechanicsburg, about eighteen miles from this place, 
[Cincinnati,] to attend a quarterly meeting. On Satur- 
day he preached his last sermon, with his usual zeal and 
pathos, on 'I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, 
for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one 
that believeth.' That night he was attacked with the 
disease which terminated in his death. He was brought 
home in a wagon, and laid on his bed, where he remained 
for eight weeks, a man of sufferings, racked with pain 
and scorched with fever; but he bore all without murmur- 
ing. He was grateful for every kindness shown him, and 
appeared calm, resigned, and patient. He said, indeed, 
but little about dying; nor did he praise God aloud as 
some have done. It was not his usual way when in 
health ; but what he did say was satisfactory. To one 
friend he said that he had no anxiety about living, but 
should be willing to live till he could settle up his tem- 
poral business, if it was the will of the Lord, because he 
could do it better than others, and thereby prevent trou- 
ble after his death ; but he was, nevertheless, willing to 
resign all into the hands of the Lord. I visited him one 
week before his death for the first time, and several times 
afterward. On one of my visits I talked to him respect- 
ing the state of his mind. He seemed composed and 
resigned, and said he felt that his peace was made with 
God. The brother who attended on him asked him, a 
few hours before his death, if he was sensible that he 
would soon go. He said, 'Yes, I shall soon be in eter- 
nity/ The brother asked him if he had any doubts or 
fears. He said, ' Not any ; my way is clear.' His de- 
parture was on the 27th day of September, 1823, a little 
before seven o'clock in the evening. Thus lived and 
thus died our beloved brother Cummins, a pattern of 
piety, a waymark to heaven. We do not mean to say 

32 



378 



SKETCHES OF 



that lie had no failings ; but we say they were compara- 
tively few. He now rests from his labors and his works 
follow him." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



379 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE CONVERSION OF A CRUEL MASTER. 

In the state of Virginia, in an early day in the history 
of Methodism in the western country, there lived a 
wealthy and influential planter, who owned a large num- 
ber of slaves. He was a kind master, and treated his 
slaves with respect and affection, regarding them as mem- 
bers of his own household. As an evidence of this he 
procured for them every advantage of intellectual and 
moral culture within his power. When the neighbor- 
hood was visited by Methodist ministers, he invited 
them to preach on his plantation, and not only gave all 
his servants an opportunity to attend preaching, but was 
particular in urging them to go. It was not long till the 
Gospel, preached in simplicity and power, reached the 
hearts of the colored people, and they embraced religion. 
And not only were the servants brought to taste the joys 
of pardoning mercy, and made happy in a Savior's 
love, but the master and mistress were alike included 
in the happy number of the converted. If before the 
relation of master and servant was one of respect for 
the rights, and concern for the happiness of the latter, 
now that they had been baptized by the same Spirit, and 
made one in Christ Jesus, there was a bond of union far 
more powerful than could possibly grow out of any natural 
or social relations. 

Among the number of the servants who had obtained 
religion and joined the Church, was one noted for his 
piety. This servant, whose name was "Cuff/' was not 



380 



SKETCHES OF 



particularly remarkable for any loud profession, though 
he was always ready, in the spirit of meekness, to be a 
witness for Jesus ; but for unbending integrity and 
open, straightforward consistency of conduct, he had few 
superiors any where. For one who enjoyed no greater 
advantages, he possessed an order of intellect superior to 
most of his colored brethren. All having the most un- 
wavering faith in his piety, he was unanimously selected 
by his brethren to lead in religious exercises at the meet- 
ings when no preacher was present. Every thing went 
on pleasantly and happily in this religious family for 
years. The religion of Jesus, which is adapted to all, 
and designed to bring the highest blessings to mankind 
in general, proves of especial benefit to the slaves; and 
that Church which is the most actively engaged in 
preaching the Gospel to this portion of our fellow-beings 
most certainly gives the strongest evidence of being the 
true Church of Him who said, " The poor have the Gos- 
pel preached to them." A Church having been estab- 
lished on this plantation, through the influence of Meth- 
odist preachers, meetings were kept up regularly, and 
when the intervening Sabbaths would come, at which 
time the preacher was absent at another appointment, 
the voice of praise and prayer would ascend from the 
humble chapel, and Cuff would pour out his full heart in 
exhortations, with an eloquence and power none could 
resist. Often have the hearts of proud and wicked mas- 
ters, from adjoining plantations, who had been attracted 
out of mere curiosity to attend the meetings, been made 
to tremble, while the falling tear from proud and haughty 
mistresses, who would wonder at the audacity of the 
negro, would betray the emotions his eloquence had pro- 
duced. Many a conscience had thus been smitten by 
burning words which had been proof against the Gospel 
in the fashionable Churches of the city. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



381 



The happy seasons enjoyed at the little plantation 
Church were fearfully broken in upon by a most melan- 
choly event. The old master was called to pronounce 
upon his faithful servants his parting blessing, and then 
to pass away to that world where such relations are un- 
known. Death came to the aged patriarch, and he was 
followed by his weeping family and. friends to his silent 
home. This event, as is often the case, broke up the 
family, and the servants were divided among the chil- 
dren. Cuff fell into the hands of one of the sons. This 
young man commenced the world as many do in similar 
circumstances, whose parents are affluent. Having formed 
no habits of industry, and wholly unfitted for business, 
improvident and careless, believing that to-morrow would 
be as to-day, and much more abundant of blessing, he was 
not long in squandering the estate left him by his father; 
and becoming hopelessly involved, an attachment was 
sued out by his creditors on all his property, and the 
servants, with the rest of the estate, were advertised at 
public sale. In that neighborhood there lived a young 
man, who had recently married, and was making prepara- 
tions for keeping house. To complete these preparations 
it was necessary for him to purchase a good servant; and 
having knowledge of the sale, he accordingly attended. 
He was by profession an infidel, and carefully avoided 
going to any religious meetings, though his wife, previ- 
ous to her marriage, had often attended, and had listened 
with unusual interest to the eloquent negro. Having 
gone round and inspected the slaves, as was customary 
among buyers, he was struck most favorably with the 
appearance of Cuff, and believing he would suit him, he 
began to question his master in regard to his good and 
bad qualities. The young master informed the infidel 
that Cuff was the most honest and upright negro he 
ever knew, and he could only think of one fault which 



382 



SKETCHES OF 



he had that might make him objectionable to the pur- 
chaser, and that was, that " he would pray and go to 
meeting/' 

"Ah," said the infidel, "is that all you have against 
him? I can soon whip that out of him." 

He made the purchase and took him home. Cuff, 
with a sad heart, left the old homestead, and his breth- 
ren, and the little chapel, where he had enjoyed so much 
religious comfort. When he had performed the duties 
of the day enjoined by his new master, he started out to 
seek a place for private prayer. Adjoining the garden 
was a nursery, and it being a secluded spot, he retired 
amid the thicket of young trees with which it was filled, 
and there alone he kneeled and poured out his burdened 
spirit to G-od. While engaged in his devotions his young 
mistress, who was walking in the garden, overheard him, 
and, drawing nigh to listen, she soon recognized the elo- 
quent voice that had thrilled her at the Woodland Chapel. 
She was chained to the spot, as the low and melancholy 
tones of the supplicant were breathed into the ears of the 
Lord of Sabaoth ; and when, with fervor, he prayed for 
the blessing of God to come down upon his new master 
and mistress, the unsealed fountain of her heart poured 
forth its tears. 

On the ensuing Sabbath Cuff went to meeting, and 
also at night, but returned so as to be ready for duty 
early on Monday morning. He was not aware of the 
infidel character of his master, though, from what he had 
seen and heard during the short time he had been with 
him, he knew that he was a stranger to grace. Knowing, 
also, that there are many irreligious people, who, never- 
theless, have a great respect for religion and its institu- 
tions, when Cuff was asked the next morning by his mas- 
ter where he had been, he said, "I have been to meetin; 
and, bless de Lord, it was a good time, massa." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



383 



"Cuff," said the master, in a gruff, angry voice, "you 
must quit praying; I will have none of it about the 
place." 

" Massa, I do any thing you tell me dat I can do ; but 
I can't quit praying. My Massa in heaven command me 
to pray." 

" But you shall quit it, and promise to do so or I will 
whip you." 

u I can not do one nor the other, massa." 

" Follow me, then, you obstinate negro," said the mas- 
ter, greatly excited, " and we shall see whose authority is 
to be obeyed in this matter." 

The slave was led out, and, after being stripped of the 
few tattered garments that covered his person, he was 
tied to a tree in the yard. With a rawhide the master 
inflicted twenty-five strokes upon his bare back. The 
master then said, "Now, Cuff, will you quit praying?" 

"No, massa," was the reply, "I will pray to Jesus as 
long as I live." 

He then gave the negro twenty-five more lashes, and 
the blood ran down to the ground. At the close of this 
horrid scene in the brutal tragedy, the master exclaimed, 
" You will quit now, won't you ?" 

Meekly as his divine Master bore the cruel scourge 
before him, he replied, "No, my massa, I will pray to my 
blessed God while I live." 

This so enraged the infuriate fiend, that he flew at him 
with all the rage of a tiger thirsting for blood, and plying 
the bloody weapon with all his remaining strength, he 
stopped not till he was obliged to give over from sheer 
exhaustion. 

" Will you stop your praying now, you infernal nigger, 
you?" 

The same meek voice replied, " No, massa, you may 
kill me, but while I live I must pray." 



384 



SKETCHES OF 



" Then you shall be whipped this much every time you 
pray or go to meeting." 

He was untied, ordered to put on his clothes, and go 
about his work. When out of sight and hearing of his 
master, he sang, in a low and plaintive tone, 

" My suffering time will soon be o'er, 
Then shall I sigh and weep no more ; 
My ransomed soul shall soar away 
To sing God's praise in endless day." 

While this cruel scene was transpiring, the young mis- 
tress was looking through the window weeping, and when 

S. M came into the house, she said, a My dear 

husband, why did you whip that poor negro so, just for 
praying? I am sure there can be no harm in that." 

" Silence," shouted the enraged husband; "not an- 
other word on the subject, or I will give you as much as 
I gave him." 

All that day S. M raved like a madman, curs- 
ing the negro and all his race, and cursing God for having 
created them. Night came. He retired to his chamber, 
and fell upon his couch to rest. In vain he courted 
sleep, if for nothing else than to shut out the horrid vis- 
ions of his tempest-tossed mind. He turned from side to 
side with unutterable groanings. Just before day he ex- 
claimed, "I feel that I shall be damned! 0, God, have 
mercy on me !" He then said to his wife — the first word 
he had spoken to her since his threat — "Is there any 
one about the house that can or will pray for me ?" 

"None," said she, "that I know of but the poor negro 
you whipped yesterday." 

"0, I am sure he will not, he can not pray for me!" 

"Yes," said the weeping wife, "I think he will." 

"Then, for God's sake, send some one to call him!" 

A servant was soon dispatched; and when Cuff heard 
that his master wanted him, expecting a renewal of the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



385 



scenes of yesterday — for he had been praying all night — 
he went from his low, dingy cabin into the chamber of 
his master. What was his astonishment, when he en- 
tered, to find his master prostrate on the floor, crying for 
mercy ! 

"0," said he, at sight of his injured slave, "will you, 
can you pray for me ? I feel that I shall be damned 
before morning unless God have mercy upon me." 

"Yes, massa, I bless God, I have been praying for you 
and mistress all the night." 

He then fell upon his knees, beside his prostrate mas- 
ter and kneeling wife, and, with a fervor and a faith that 
opened heaven, he wrestled hard with God for the guilty 
man. Thus he continued in prayer and exhortation, 
pointing the guilty to the guiltless one, till morning 
light, when God, in mercy, stooped to answer prayer, 
and set the dark, sin-chained soul of the infidel at lib- 
erty, and wrote a pardon on his heart. Soon as the love 
of God was shed abroad in the master's soul, he em- 
braced his servant in his arms, exclaiming, "Cuff, my 
dear brother in Christ, from this moment you are a free 
! man." 

Great was the joy and rejoicing in that house on that 
day. The wife had also found the pearl of great price, 
and now one in Christ, as they were before one in flesh, 
their souls were dissolved in the bliss of heaven. The 
slave was freed, and employed by his master as chaplain 
at a good salary, and Cuff went every -where among his 
scattered brethren preaching the word. The master him- 
self became a zealous and successful minister of the Gos- 
pel, and lived many years to preach that Jesus whose 
name he had blasphemed, and whose disciple he had 
scourged. 

33 



386 



SKETCHES 05" 



CHAPTER XXX. 

MARCUS LINDSET. 

The subject of our narrative was born in Ireland, and 
brought to this country when quite a boy. His parents 
were Protestants, of which the "Emerald Isle" has pro- 
duced some of the stanchest. Well was it for Ireland 
that the benevolent spirit of Methodism crossed the 
British Channel, and bore the messages of mercy to a 
spiritually-dead form of religion, on the one hand, and 
an equally-corrupt form on the other. Neither the 
Church of England nor the Church of Rome had done 
much for poor, unhappy Ireland, in rousing its poor, 
downtrodden masses from the sleep of death. The par- 
ents belonged to the Church of England, and, of course, 
young Marcus was trained up in the peculiarities of that 
faith. Being of a naturally-reflective turn of mind he 
was early impressed with religious thoughts, and con- 
vinced of the depravity of his young heart, as its way- 
wardness manifested itself in disobedience to God and 
his parents. His convictions in regard to his sinful state 
were greatly increased in being permitted occasionally to 
hear Methodist preaching. The sermons that young 
Lindsey heard from Wesley's missionaries resulted in his 
awakening and conversion to God. It was not long after 
this event that he felt deeply impressed with the belief 
that it was his duty to exhort sinners to flee the wrath to 
come, and be saved from their sins. After exercising 
awhile in this relation, and his brethren being convinced, 
by the gifts and grace which he possessed, and the fruits 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



38T 



which attended his labors, that he was called of G-od to 
devote himself exclusively to the work of calling sinners 
to repentance, he was recommended to the conference, 
and accordingly received into the traveling connection 
in 1810. 

His first appointment was to the Hartford circuit, Ken- 
tucky, on which he labored with great zeal and devotion 
through the year, at the expiration of which time he was 
ordained a deacon for the missionary work, and appointed 
to Big Sandy river. This was a wild, mountainous, half- 
civilized region of country, and remains so to some con- 
siderable extent at the present day. The Big Sandy was 
a kind of neutral ground between Kentucky and Vir- 
ginia, and its deep glens, and mountain gorges, and dense, 
unbroken forests, made it the home of a daring, reckless 
race of individuals, and the horse-thief, and gambler, and 
counterfeiter has often sought refuge in its dark defiles 
from the pursuit of justice. We could describe many 
scenes of terror and darkness that have transpired in that 
region, but we must proceed to our sketch. The youthful 
herald entered this field of labor, and braving every diffi- 
culty and danger, he penetrated its wilds, and proclaimed 
to its startled and scattered inhabitants, salvation in the 
name of Jesus. Many heard the joyful sound, and 
turned their feet from the ways of sin and wickedness to 
the ways of righteousness and peace. We may talk 
about the desolation that reigns in the jungles of India, 
and on the wild and gloomy mountains of Africa, or the 
solitudes of Oregon, but we have the heathen in the 
form of half-civilized man, in some of the wild places 
of the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia ; ay, 
they may be found in some of the garrets and cellars 
of our dark alleys in the city full of Churches, where 
thousands are contributed yearly to convert the Hottentot, 
the Chinese, and the East Indian. We are not afraid, 



388 



SKETCHES OF 



though we thus speak, that the charity that begins sit 
home will end there ; no, for those who care most for the 
destitute around them are sure to feel deeply and care 
largely for those who are abroad. 

The next year he was appointed to Little Sandy, and 
here his labors were crowned with the most abundant 
success; and at the close of this year he was sent into 
Ohio, and stationed on the Union circuit. Here success 
attended his labors in the kingdom and patience of 
Jesus. We have not time, however, nor space, to enter 
into any detail in regard to the triumphs of the Gospel 
which he witnessed in this field. In 1815 he was re- 
moved to the Marietta circuit, where he was made the 
instrument of much good. While on this circuit he was 
instrumental, in the hands of God, in the conversion of 
John Stewart, the colored man, who went out as the first 
missionary among the Wyandott Indians. Stewart had 
been a very dissipated man, and, in one of his drunken 
fits of delirium tremens, he had started to the Ohio river 
to drown himself. On his way he had to pass by the 
place where Lindsey was holding meeting. Being at- 
tracted by the sound — for Methodist preachers generally 
cry aloud, and spare not — he drew up, and stood by the 
door, where he could distinctly hear all that was said. 
The preacher was describing the lost sinner's condition, 
his exposedness to death and hell; and then he pre- 
sented the offers of mercy, showing that Jesus died for 
all, and the worst of sinners might repent and find par- 
don. It was a message of mercy to that poor, forlorn, 
and ruined soul. It turned his feet from the way of 
death to the path of life. He returned to his place, and 
falling upon his knees, he cried for mercy. God heard 
the poor Ethiopian's prayer. While piteously he pleaded 
for mercy, salvation came to his heart. At the next 
meeting he was found at the church, sitting in the back 



WESTERN METHODISM. 389 



corner, but clothed in his right mind. When the invi- 
tation was given to persons to join the Church, he went 
forward, and the preacher received him and instructed 
him more perfectly in the way of the Lord. He had 
received some education, and was enabled to read and 
write. Like most of his brethren of the African race, 
he was an admirable singer, possessing a voice of unusual 
sweetness and power, and he took great delight in sing- 
ing the hymns and spiritual songs of the Church. Some 
time after his conversion he became greatly exercised on 
the subject of preaching. So intense and all-absorbing 
became his thoughts on the subject that he could neither 
eat nor sleep. He was continually engaged in reading the 
Bible and in prayer for weeks. His long fasting and 
almost ceaseless vigils were broken by a vision which he 
told us came to him one night. Whether awake or 
asleep he could not say; but in the transition he heard 
a voice distinctly saying, " You must go in a north- 
westerly direction, to the Indian nation, and tell the 
savage tribes of Christ, your Savior." He had this vis- 
ion for three successive nights. 

It is said that dreams indicate the mind's anxieties, 
and it is highly probable that the things which engross 
the mind by day continue to occupy it by night — at least 
so far as to give a bent and coloring to the thoughts 
when the outward senses are locked up in sleep. This 
being the case, then, from the fact that Stewart was 
greatly exercised on the subject of preaching, we may 
be led to infer that his vision, or dream, was but a part 
of his call to preach the Gospel. The only thing won- 
derful and extraordinary in the dream, is the specific 
nature of the call, designating, as Paul's vision of the 
man of Macedonia, the very place to which he should go. 
Now that revelation is exhausted, and the Bible is to 
be regarded as a finality onfall subjects pertaining to 



390 



SKETCHES OF 



belief and duty, we have but little faith in dreams, oi 
"spiritual communications/' so called, as constituting 
any part of the rule of faith or practice. The sure 
"word of prophecy," which G-od has given us, will, if 
understood and followed, guide us into all the ways of 
truth and righteousness. 

Stewart was poor, and destitute of friends, with the 
exception of the Methodists, who received and treated 
him as a brother; but, even among his brethren, who 
could he get, by any possibility, to believe that he was 
called to go on a mission to preach the Grospel to the 
Indians ? Firmly impressed, however, with the belief 
that a dispensation of the Grospel had been committed 
to him, he made all the preparation his circumstances 
would allow, and, with his Bible and hymn-book, started 
out, not knowing whither he was going, save that the 
vision directed him to the north-west. Abraham, when 
called from the Ur of the Chaldees, had, doubtless, much 
greater faith when he entered upon his journey than this 
sable son of Ham; but there was not less uncertainty in 
regard to the unknown destination. Stewart continued 
his travels; and hearing of the Delaware Indians, on the 
Muskingum, he directed his course thitherward. When 
he arrived among them he commenced singing, and pray- 
ing, and exhorting, but it was in an unknown tongue. 
The peaceful Indians gazed upon the dark stranger with 
silent wonder, but were not moved by his tears and en- 
treaties. Being impressed that this was not the tribe 
to which he was called he hurried on. After a fatiguing 
journey, he arrived at Pipetown, on the Sandusky river, 
where he found a large concourse of Indians engaged in 
feasting and dancing. They were in the very midst of 
their wildest mirth and revelry when he appeared among 
them. Being a dark mulatto, he attracted their atten- 
tion, and they gathered abound him, and asked him to 



WESTERN 



METHODISM. 



891 



drink of their fire-water ; but he too well knew the fatal 
effects of the deadly draught to allow it to pass his lips. 
At this refusal the Indians became angry, and were be- 
ginning to manifest signs of hostility j but he commenced, 
in a clear, melodious voice, singing one of the songs of 
Zion. Its strains rose above the din and uproar of the 
multitude. They were strangely enchanting, and, like 
the voice of Jesus on stormy Galilee, they calmed the 
tumult, of passion which threatened his destruction. 
The war-dance and song ceased. The multitude gath- 
ered around him, and hung upon his lips in breathless 
silence, as if enchanted by the sound. When he ceased 
he fell upon his knees, and poured out his heart to God 
in prayer for their salvation. There stood by him an 
old chief, who understood his language, and as word 
after word escaped his lips he interpreted it to the listen- 
ing hundreds. When his prayer was ended, he arose 
and exhorted them to turn away from their drunken 
revelry, and Indian ceremonies, to the worship of the 
true and living God, assuring them that if they con- 
tinued in this course they would be forever lost. As the 
earnest entreaties of the colored preacher were commu- 
nicated by the old chief, many were deeply impressed 
with the truths which he uttered, and the work of God 
might have then and there at once commenced, but for 
the interference of Captain Pipe, the head chief, who be- 
came violently enraged, and, brandishing his tomahawk, 
swore if he did not cease he would kill him on the spot. 
John ceased his exhortation, and turned, with a sorrow- 
ful heart, away. Being ordered to leave immediately, 
on pain of death, he again started out upon his journey, 
and, guided by an invisible hand, he went to Upper 
Sandusky. Here he found another band of Indians, and 
among them a black man named Jonathan Painter, who 
had been taken prisoner by them at the mouth of the 



392 



SKETCHES OF 



Big Kanawha, in Virginia, when a boy. He was a good 
interpreter. With this man he soon became intimate, 
and procuring his services, he went with him to attend 
a great Indian festival. When he arrived he begged 
permission to speak to the assembled multitude; but 
they paid little attention to his request. He still pleaded 
for the privilege; for his heart burned to tell the wan- 
dering savage of Jesus and his love. After much 
entreaty, through his interpreter, they agreed to let him 
speak to them the next day. The time and place of 
meeting were fixed, and when Stewart, with his interpret- 
er, appeared, how was his heart chilled and discouraged 
only to find one old Indian, by the name of Big Tree, 
and an old Indian woman, called Mary! To these, how- 
ever, he preached Christ and the resurrection. God 
attended his word; and though small and feeble was the 
beginning, yet the labors of Stewart were blessed. He 
continued to hold forth, as opportunity favored, the word 
of life to the Wyandotts, and as the product of so feeble 
an instrumentality, the mission to the Wyandotts was 
established by the Church, an account of which may be 
found in our History. 

We now resume our sketch of brother Lindsey, through 
whose instrumentality this remarkable man, in some 
respects, was brought to God. After finishing his term 
on the Marietta circuit he was sent to the Salt River 
district, in Kentucky, where he continued for two years, 
laboring with his accustomed zeal and usefulness. From 
this district he was sent to the Green River district, 
which he traveled three years; thence to the Kentucky 
district, which he traveled four years. After this he 
was returned to the Salt River district, where he remained 
three years, and at the expiration thereof he came over 
to the Ohio district, which he traveled one year, when 
he was removed to the Cumberland district. Here he 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



393 



continued for three years in labors more abundant. His 
next appointment was Shelbyville, and the Brick Chapel. 
Thus we trace this indefatigable man from circuit to 
district, from district to district and station, laboring on 
with a tireless zeal in the service of his Master. Could 
a history of the fourteen years, in which he traveled over 
vast districts of country as presiding elder, be written 
out, how full would it be of stirring adventures and 
thrilling incidents; but the memory of them has per- 
ished with the departure of the man, and we can only 
give a rapid outline of the fields which he has succes- 
sively and successfully cultivated. 

We have already brought our readers down to the 
last appointment, and it only remains for us to say, 
that while actively engaged in this field of labor he 
was arrested by that fell disease, the cholera, which 
garnered such precious fruits for the tomb from among 
the ministry, and which, in July, 1833, terminated his 
career on earth, and ushered him to heaven. He was 
a man of stout, athletic frame, black hair, a keen, dark 
eye, overarched by heavy brows. He was much given 
to despondency, which would occasionally cast a gloom 
upon his countenance, that at times would make his 
appearance rather forbidding; but under all there was 
a large heart full of tender sympathies. When his 
mind was not overcast, and in heaviness through mani- 
fold temptations, his bright, happy spirit would make 
sunshine all around him. Some men can never be fully 
known in this life, however transparent their character. 
There is a deep, inner life that lies far down beyond the 
ken of mortals, which the tongue, if it could, will not 
reveal. That life can only be known hereafter. Till 
then we must wait for the solution of difficulties, incon- 
sistencies, and mysteries, which here we shall never 
know. Lindsey was a powerful preacher, a faithful 



394: 



SKETCHES OF 



pastor, and a great terror to evil-doers. He abounded 
in zeal and good works, and thousands will bless God 
in the day of eternity, that to him was committed a 
dispensation of the Gospel. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



395 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
the Dutchman's experience. 

When we were traveling the Cross Creek circuit, in 
1815, in a region of country which was mostly settled by 
German Lutherans, and not much regard paid to the Sab- 
bath, or any kind of religion, there lived a German by 
the name of Gost. He was one of the principal men of 
the neighborhood, and had great influence among his 
German friends. At one of our love-feasts we heard him 
relate his experience, and though it was in very broken 
English, yet it was told with an unction and a power 
which melted all hearts, and which thrilled and interested 
us so much that we have not forgotten it to this day. 

There is something peculiar in the German mind and 
character which shows itself, perhaps, more strikingly in 
regard to the subject of religion than any thing else. It 
seems that in whatever enterprise a German embarks, it 
engrosses his entire energies, and when once fully com- 
mitted on any subject, he adheres to it with an energy, 
zeal, and perseverance worthy of all praise. Staid and 
sober as he may appear, he nevertheless has the excita- 
bility of a Frenchman without his mercurial nature. 
Luther was a noble type of the Teutonic mind, and ex- 
hibited the different characteristics of which we have 
spoken, when he said he would go to the Diet of Worms 
if there were as many devils in his way as there were 
tiles on the roofs of the houses ; and when, in his ex- 
cited imagination, he saw the devil before him in his 
study, and threw his inkstand at him; and, also, when 



396 



SKETCHES OP 



on another occasion, he was arraigned before an ecclesi- 
astical council for heresy, and threatened with punish- 
ment if he did not retract, he said, "Here I stand, God 
help !*' One has said, " Get a German once converted, 
and there is little danger of his refusing to take up his 
cross, or turning back to the beggarly elements of the 
world." They seem to carry out more fully Mr. Wesley's 
idea of Methodism than even the English brethren them- 
selves. When they sing, "they sing lustily;" when 
they pray, they pray with all their might; when they 
speak in class meeting or love-feast, they come right to 
the point of Christian experience without any circumlo- 
cution. Such was the case with our good German brother 
whose experience we are going to relate. 

Shortly after the speaking exercises commenced, he 
arose and said, "Mine dear bruders, ven I comes to dis 
blace dare vas nobody here. Den after, mine frems dey 
comes too, and ve did comes along very goot, as ve dot. 
Ye did drink viskey, and frolic, and dance, and ve all dot 
it vas wery nice; but binebys der comes along into de 
neighborhoot a Metodis breacher by de name of Jo. 
Shackelford, and he breaches and breaches, and brays and 
brays, as you never see de like in all your lives. He says, 
You beeples all goes to hell unless you git conwerted, and 
be saved from your zins.' Now, veil den, de beeples be- 
gins to dink zeriously on dis matter, and dey say ve must 
do better, or, sure enough, de devil vill git us shust as he 
says. Den dey gits Christen, and begins to bray; and 
dey vails down, and brays, and croans, and hollers, and I 
says to my beeples, Dis is de devil; and it goes on till it 
comes to my neighbor Honnes. Yell, I does not go, and 
my vife and gals does not go, because I said it vas de 
devil. Yell, however, it gomes so near by mine house, I 
says I vill go and see vat is dis ting vat makes de beeples 
so crazy. So von night I goes to Honnes's to see de 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



397 



brayer meeting, and I sets down and sees de beeples come 
in, and dey all looks shust like dey used to do, and I dot 
it vas all veil; but dey soon begins to zing and bray, and 
I dot dis is all right. Den some pegins to croan, and 
vails down; and I says, 'Dis is de devil, and I vill shust 
go home;' but ven I vent to rise up I could not, vor I vas 
fast to de bench. Den I vas skeered, and I said, 'Dis 
is de devil sure enough/ I looked round, and I dot de 
door vas growed up, and I vas fast enough. Veil, veil, 
den I say, ' Mine Got, de devil vill git me now, by sure V 
I looked more for de door, and bresently I sees him, and 
I makes von spring and out I goes headforemost. Den I 
gits up, and runs mit all my might till I comes to mine 
fenc Q ; and ven I goes to git over I comes down smack 
upon my pack, and now I says, 'De devil vill git me, py 
sureT I lays dare for some time; den I gits up, and 
climes de fence, and goes to mine house, and dot I would 
shust go to bed mitout making any noise; but shust as 1 
vas gittin in ped smack down I comes on mine pack upon 
de floor; and Madalana, mine vife, did shump out of de 
ped, and did schream; and Petts and Kate — dat ish 
my two gals — dey did shump up and schream and holler, 
and dare I lays, and I says, '0, mine Got, tis ish te 
devil!' Madalana says, 'No matter for you; it shust 
serves you right ; you vould go, and now you prings de 
devil home mit you to your own house/ Petts and Kate 
dey both cries, and mine vife she scolds, and de devil 
he shakes me over de hells, and all my sins shust comes 
up to mine eyes, and I says, '0, mine Got, save me!' 
After a vile I goes to ped, but I not sleeps. I says, ' 
mine Got, mine Got, vat vill become of me!' Shust at 
daylight I gits up and goes down to my parn, and gits 
under de hoss-trough, and smack I comes on mine pack 
again. Den I cries, mit all my might, '0, mine Got, 
mine Got, have mercy upon me !' I dot I vas goin to de 



398 



SKETCHES OF 



hells. Shust den someting say to me, <Di sins pe all vor- 
gifen.' Den someting comes down all over me at my 
head, shust like honey, and I opens mine mout shust so 
vide ash I can; but it filled so full it run over, and den 
0, I vas so happy as never I vas before in all my life ! I 
did shump like a deer, and I hollered, ' Glory, glory to 
mine Got P mit all my might. Mine hosses dey did veel 
round and shnorted, and I did veel round too, and hol- 
lered glory, and I did not know dem, and dey did not 
know me. Presently I saw my gray hoss, Pob, and I 
snatched him round de neck, and he did veel round, and 
I hollered, 'Glory, glory, and bless de Lort!' I love dish 
hoss unto dis day so petter than any. I now ish on mine 
vay to de himmels, and dare I vill bless Got for his pring- 
ing me down on mine pack, and for mine vife and mine 
gals; for dey now goes mit me to glory; so, mine brud- 
ers, ve vill all bineby meet in dat goot vorld, to braise de 
Lort forever and ever." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



399 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

JOHN STRANGE. 

This talented and useful preacher was a native of Vir- 
ginia. He was born on the 15th day of November, 1789, 
and when quite a boy emigrated to the wilds of Ohio. 
Here, under the ministrations of the early pioneer fath- 
ers of Methodism, he embraced the religion of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and united with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. It was not long after his conversion that his 
talents and piety were exhibited to such a degree as to 
convince the Church, in connection with his own deep 
and powerful impressions, that he was called of God to 
enter the ministry. In the year 1810 he commenced his 
itinerant career under the venerable Quinn. His first 
circuit was Wills Creek, in the wilds of Muskingum, 
where he labored, with all the zeal and fire of youth, in 
proclaiming the G-ospel to sinners. The next appoint- 
ment which he received was Cincinnati, as the colleague 
of the venerable Burke. He traveled successively White- 
water, Oxford, Lawrenceburg, Whiteoak, Mad River, and 
Union circuits, and Charlestown and Indianapolis dis- 
tricts. His excessive labors, however, proved too much 
for his constitution, and during his whole ministerial life, 
with but slight intervals of rest, he was in abundant 
labors ; 

"For Jesus day and night employed, 
His heritage he toiled to clear." 

He was regarded, both in Ohio and Indiana — in the 
latter of which states he spent the close of his life — as a 



400 



SKETCHES OF 



faithful, eloquent, and beloved minister of Jesus Christ. 
Numerous seals to his ministry, which will, doubtless, be 
stars in the crown of his rejoicing in the day of eternity, 
are to be found all over the west. On the second of De- 
cember, 1834, in the forty-fifth year of his age, and the 
twenty-third of his ministry, he was called away by the 
gentle summons of his Master, to that world where labor 
is exchanged for rest, and prayer is lost in praise. 

One who was entirely ignorant of the life of a preacher 
wrote the following: "How full of beauty, how desirable 
and picturesque, is the life of a preacher, especially in 
the country ! Religion and poetry dwell with him like 
twin sisters, and his thoughts, when turned aside from 
heaven, rest on all that is most beautiful on earth." The 
truth is, the enjoyment of a faithful minister does not 
consist in his repose. When but a single glance upon 
the exhausting demands which are made upon his mind 
and body — demands under which many sink to an un- 
timely grave; when we think of his exposure to wounds 
upon his feelings through all his every-day duties — wounds 
which he must bear in silence, or be liable to be charged 
with having a wrong spirit — his being cut off from the 
common resources of men, and made dependent for a 
support upon those for whom he labors, and thereby the 
selfishness of men is armed against him; add to all thia 
that the sorrows of others lay a tax upon his sympathies, 
and compel him to bear a part; when all these are con- 
sidered, this picture will be regarded as extremely fanci- 
ful. Whoever enters the ministry for the poetry of ii 
will find the thorn with the rose. A thistle, when seen 
in the far-off distance, may contribute as much as the 
lily to beautify the landscape ; but when it is approached 
and grasped its thorns are felt. So it is with the preach- 
er's life to those who look at it from a distance. His 
position may be regarded as the abode of poetry and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



401 



Elysian sweets; but an experience of short duration will 
soon correct the error, and show how toilsome, and 
often unthankful, is his profession. To the Methodist 
preacher it is hard service and poor fare, so far as this 
world is concerned; and were it not for the comfortable 
reflection that the faithful shall be crowned with life, 
very few would enter the ranks of the itinerancy for the 
poetry connected with it. 

A beautiful tribute from the pen of one of Indiana's 
most gifted daughters, with which we shall finish our 
sketch, will give the reader a better idea of the talents 
and character of the beloved Strange than any thing we 
could say : 

" Among the heralds of salvation to a dying world, who 
have now sat down in our Father's kingdom, there is no 
name that comes up from the dim remembrance of the 
past, with a holier and more endearing thrill, than that 
of John Strange. In the morning of life he heeded not 
the siren voice that would have lured him to the flower- 
wreathed paths of pleasure, or pointed out to him the 
high seats of what men call honorable renown ; but 
trampling on the bright hopes of earthly greatness, 
which are ever busy in the heart of youth, he took up 
and bore to the end of his course the cross of the meek 
and lowly Savior. He was one of those men whom the 
Lord saw fit, in his wisdom, to endow with every Chris- 
tian grace, and set apart to carry the glad tidings of sal- 
vation to the humble homes of the western pioneers; and 
through many a night, in the dark and lonely wilderness, 
he pillowed his weary head on the green earth without a 
covering, save the blue canopy of heaven. There was no 
privation, discouragement, or danger that could induce him 
to forsake his Master's work; for he was truly a man that 
bore about with him, in his own body, the marks of the 
Lord Jesus. 

34 



402 



SKETCHES OF 



"When lie came to Indiana it was comparatively a wil- 
derness, and there were many parts where the story of 
the cross was but seldom told. His fervent piety, supe- 
rior talents, and zeal for the souls of dying men, soon 
made him a home at every hearth, and the sound of his 
name brought a thrill to every heart that loved the cause 
of the Redeemer; and 0, it is a glorious thought, that 
while his immortal part is worshiping with the blood- 
washed throng around the eternal throne, his name is 
treasured up 

' Amid fond Memory's sacred things,' 
in many hearts that will one day be stars in his crown of 
rejoicing. 

'He, mixing -with the brilliant hosts above, 
Recounts the wonders of redeeming love; 
While list'ning angels hear with sweet surprise, 
And gusts of alleluiahs ring the skies.' 

" Perhaps I can not better give an idea of his manner 
of preaching than by giving an instance. It was under- 
stood, in a remote part of Indiana, where the Gospel was 
but seldom heard, that on a certain day John Strange 
would preach. It was at once set down as an era among 
the people j and, on the day appointed, they, with almost 
one accord, assembled at the place, which was the temple 
of God's own building, the green, unbroken forest. Of 
the hundreds there collected, some had come t» worship 
that God whom they had learned to love in the far-ofl 
land of their nativity, which they had exchanged for the 
wilderness, where the sound of the church-going bell 
might never salute them again ; and some were there 
through mere curiosity, many of whom, perhaps, had 
never heard a sermon in their lives. Expectation was on 
tiptoe ; and it was evident, from the restless movements 
and anxious whisperings of the groups collected apart 
from the crowd, that something out of the common order 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



403 



was about to take place. All eyes were turned in one 
direction for a moment — the whispered words, 'The 
preacher's come/ were heard, and all was silent as the 
day dawn of creation. He ascended the rude stand pre- 
pared for him, and sang a hymn, in a voice whose deep 
pathos went down into the heart, and seldom failed to 
cause some chord to vibrate there; then, as he kneeled 
beneath the bright blue sky, and poured his spirit out 
before the Grod that gave it, in behalf of those to whom 
he was sent with the words of everlasting life, the smoth- 
ered sobs and flowing tears of the assembly, evinced the 
faith and fervor of that prayer. He then pointed out 
clearly the way of salvation through the blood of a cruci- 
fied Redeemer, and besought those who had found the 
pearl of great price to hold fast their confidence, till they 
had conquered death, their last enemy, and meet Him all 
glorious within the light of eternity, where they should 
enter upon that inheritance prepared for them from the 
foundation of the world. 'But my friends/ said he, 
'when the aDgel shall stand with one foot upon the sea 
and the other upon the land, and shall swear by Him 
that liveth forever and ever that time shall be no more; 
when the earth shall pass away and the heavens be rolled 
up as a scroll; when the thrones are set, and the dead, 
small and great, shall stand before the Lord, is there one 
here whose name shall not be found written in the Lamb's 
book of life ? Forbid it, Lord ! If there is one here 
who has never tasted of the joys of salvation, I warn him 
by the terrors of that day to flee the wrath to come, and 
to do it now; for now is the accepted time; behold! now 
is the day of salvation ; choose ye this day whom ye will 
serve ; and 0, be careful to make a wise choice ! Jesus 
has paid your debt, and now stands ready to receive you. 
Will you believe it, and enlist under the blood-stained 
banner of the cross, or will you put it off to a more con- 



404 



SKETCHES OF 



venient season ? Will you spend a never-ending eternity 
in the dark caverns of irremediable woe, or be ushered 
into the New Jerusalem with songs and everlasting joy 
upon your heads, when the Lord shall come to make up 
his jewels?' His manner and shrill, soul-searching voice 
had raised with his feelings till they seemed to have 
reached their climax, and with his pale, upturned face 
and streaming eyes, he stood for a moment as if wrapped 
in the presence of the Lord ; and then, as if the heavens 
were opened to his steadfast gaze, he exclaimed, with 
startling energy, * Grlory, glory, glory be to God, who 
giveth us the victory V It seemed as if the enchained 
attention of the audience was broken up by an electric 
shock, and the Spirit of the Lord seemed to fasten on 
every heart like cloven tongues of fire, and glory, glory, 
glory was echoed back from every part of that worshiping 
assembly. Till the tale of time is told on the morning 
of eternity the effect of that sermon can never be known. 

"I saw him shortly before he died, some ten years 
since, and never did I feel more sensibly the force of 
those beautiful lines of Dr. Young, 

The chamber -where the good man meets his fate, 

Is privileged beyond the common walk 

Of virtuous life — quite on the verge of heaven.' 

He was weak and very pale ; but there was a serenity in 
his countenance that evinced to the beholder how easy it 
was for the Christian to die; and when he spoke of his 
departure hence, there was a gleam of glory upon his 
face that told there was a heaven in his heart. He had 
an interesting family, and when he spoke to them he 
remarked, 'I love my children, and would be glad to 
leave them in better circumstances ; for I have made no 
provision for them ; but that G-od into whose hands I 
resign them has promised to provide. I have not labored 
for earthly treasure; but I have an inheritance upyonder. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



405 



and I expect to meet them all at God's right hand/ Soon 
after this he entered upon that rest prepared for those 
that love and serve the Lord. His remains were depos- 
ited in the graveyard at Indianapolis by hundreds of 
mourning friends, who had known him long and loved 
him well; and often are the bright flowers and green 
grass above that hallowed spot wet with the tears of 
those he was instrumental in bringing from nature's 
darkness to the marvelous light of God's dear children. 
There are few men who were more devoted, or spent their 
lives with an eye more single to the glory of God ; few 
there certainly are who have done more good, were more 
revered, or will be longer remembered than John Strange."" 



406 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

WILLIAM P. FINLEY. 

William P. was the third son of the Rev. Robert W. 
Finley. He was born in South Carolina, in the year 1785, 
and emigrated with his parents to Kentucky. From 
childhood he was remarkably inquisitive and talkative, 
possessing in a high degree those social qualities which 
rendered him companionable, as well as a nature full of 
wit and humor, which would gather around him all the 
young people of the neighborhood. He was rapid in 
thought and quick at repartee, yet full of benevolence 
and kindness. In addition to his genial nature and 
humorous disposition, he possessed a remarkable aptitude 
for learning. While at school studying Latin, Greek, 
Mathematics, and other branches of learning, he seemed 
to get his lessons almost by intuition. While others of 
his class would labor and grow weary over a hard sen- 
tence, or a difficult proposition, with him it seemed that 
it was only to look and receive. He always led his class, 
being perfect in all his recitations. What he received so 
readily he was disposed as lavishingly to bestow upon 
others; and hence, when other young men, during the 
winter seasons, would be out hunting and sporting, he 
would gather together a group of the neighbors' children 
in some lonesome log school-house, and there impart to 
them the rudiments of an education. Thus he spent his 
years till he arrived at manhood, when he married a 
most estimable woman, with whom he lived most happily 
till the day of his death. 



WESTEKN METHODISM. 



407 



Nothing very remarkable occurred in his history, till 
the year 1808, when, with his wife, on their way to a 
Christmas frolic, he stopped at the house of the writer of 
this sketch and heard a recital of his conversion, con- 
nected with an earnest exhortation and appeal, which 
awakened both to a sense of their lost condition; and in- 
stead of going to join in the scenes of mirth and revelry, 
they remained to weep and pray. They returned home 
and commenced seeking the Lord with penitential hearts, 
and God heard their prayer. One night, in the deep soli- 
tude of the forest, while William was prostrate on the 
ground crying for mercy, the blessing of pardon and sal- 
vation came to his soul with such power, that his soul 
was set at perfect liberty, and the peace of heaven flowed 
into his heart like a river. 

His conversion wrought the most wonderful change, 
not only in his habits of life, but in his disposition. He 
seemed to have lost all that conviviality of mind and flow 
of spirits which so strongly characterized him, and be- 
came one of the most sedate and sober men we ever 
knew. Great trials awaited him. He was constantly 
impressed with the conviction that God had called him 
to preach the Gospel, and he was strongly impressed with 
the belief that if he did not yield to the call he must 
perish, notwithstanding all the Lord had done for his 
soul. Such were the deep, agonizing struggles of his soul, 
that his mind gave evidence to all of the storm within. 
Thus he continued almost distracted, till the Church of 
God, which is the best judge of Heaven's designs in this 
respect, saw that the burden of the Lord was upon him, 
and, accordingly, he was called out and duly authorized to 
preach the, Gospel of salvation to perishing sinners. 

How mysterious are the ways of Providence ! The 
father of William, burning with a missionary zeal, left his 
home and friends for the then distant Carolinas and 



408 



SKETCHES OF 



Georgia, and the far-off cane-brakes of Kentucky; and 
when disposed to settle, having purchased a large tract 
of land, was turned out of house and home by land pirates, 
and driven out in the wilds of the North-western terri- 
tory. Here he made another purchase of land, which 
was taken from him ; and still another, but his plans were 
all frustrated, and he kept wandering. Grod at length 
converts his three sons, and sends them out into the waste 
places, to follow the fortunes of their father in calling 
sinners to repentance. 

William having proved himself in the local ranks, en- 
tered the itinerancy at the conference held in Cincinnati, 
in 1814. His first appointment was Paint Creek circuit, 
which he was to travel alone. It was a four weeks' circuit, 
but he labored with zeal and fidelity; and at the expira- 
tion of the year he reported an accession of one hundred ! 
precious souls. His next appointment was Brush Creek 
circuit, where he labored with the same untiring zeal in 
proclaiming salvation to the lost. The succeeding years 
he traveled Miami, Scioto, and Paint Creek circuits. His 
last appointment was Strait Creek circuit, in the year 
1820. He was obliged to take a location at the close of 
this year, from the following lamentable circumstances: j 
On returning to his circuit from a visit to his family, his 
horse became frightened and threw him, his head striking 
violently against the bridge which he was crossing, frac- 
turing his skull just above the left ear. This wound was 
of such a nature as to disqualify him from preaching. ' 
He suffered much from pain in the head, and was admon- 
ished that his work as an itinerant was done. Judging 
that he had not been sufficiently long in the itinerancy to 
entitle him to a superannuated relation, he chose to locate, 
and, with his wife and helpless children, trust to Provi- 
dence. He bore his painful affliction for more than a 
year, and he continued to grow worse and worse, till at 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



409 



length his mind gave way, and he became at times a 
raving maniac. He was not disposed to do any harm. In 
his ravings he would pray, and sing, and preach, as if 
still in his beloved employ of winning souls to Christ; 
and many who heard the deep pathos of his soul, as it 
sent out its pathetic wail like the strings of a broken 
harp, were melted to tears. At other times his mania 
would assume a different form, and it was almost impos- 
sible to control him. After suffering thus for seventeen 
months, his physician finally concluded to trepan him as 
the only hope of giving him relief. When it was com- 
municated to him, and the doctor told him he must con- 
sent to be bound, he firmly replied, "No; I can stand 
any thing," and laying himself down, without moving a 
limb or a muscle, he endured the operation. The moment 
the pressure was removed from the brain his mind at 
once resumed its healthy functions, and he commenced 
praising God for his deliverance. He lived in the full, 
bright, unclouded exercise of all his faculties for about 
three weeks after the operation was performed, and in 
the full, glorious triumphs of faith he went to that world 
where no derangement of human organization could ob- 
struct the soul in its glorious exercise. 

The pulpit exercises of William were of the tender and 
pathetic kind. None ever heard him preach that he did 
not, with his sympathetic Master, weep over his congre- 
gation, and beseech the sinner in tenderest strains to be 
reconciled to God, not ceasing till all were melted into 
tears. How often have we thought of the saying of the 
classic orator, in regard to the secret of producing feeling 
in the hearts of an audience : 

"If you would have me weep, begin the strain; 
Then I shall feel your sorrows, feel your paiu !'' 

By many he was called Jeremiah, or the weeping 
prophet. He was not a Boanerges, but a son of consolation; 

35 



410 SKETCHES OF 

and though there was nothing very brilliant or showy in 
his talents as a preacher, yet he was enabled, through the 
Spirit, to find way to the hearts of saints and sinners. 
Christ and him crucified was the theme that melted his 
heart and flowed from his tongue. His devoted wife is 
still coasting the Jordan, waiting to cross over. The 
most of his children have already gone to. join their 
sainted father in the better land. We stood by the 
dying bed of one of his lovely daughters, and never did 
saints or angels witness a more happy and triumphant 
death. In her last moments she said, "Dear mother, 
weep not for me. Angels are waiting to take me to Jesus 
and my home in heaven ; there I shall see my dear father, 
and brothers, and sisters, and there I shall wait your arri- 
val/' Sweetest music filled our ears as she plumed her 
wings and flew from time's retiring shores to that bright, 
world above. 0, what a happy death ! While we write 
it seems as if our precious kindred are hovering around. 
Our soul swells with glory as we contemplate the hour, 
not far distant, when we shall hail them on that sun- 
bright shore. 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



411 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

EUSSEL BIGELOf. 

Among the number of the gifted, devoted, and zealous 
preachers of his day stands the name of Russel "Bigclow. 
He was received on trial in the Ohio conference in the 
year 1815, and appointed to the Hinkston circuit, in the 
bounds of the Kentucky district, the Rev. Samuel Parker 
being his presiding elder. He was at this time in the 
twenty-third year of his age. The history of his early 
life, and the circumstances connected with his conver- 
sion, are not known; and however interesting their detail 
might, and, doubtless, would be, we are sorry that our 
readers can not be gratified. So marked a character as 
was Bigelow's during his ministerial career, must have 
been distinguished in early life by some striking pecu- 
liarities. 

In the year 1816 he was removed from Kentucky to 
Ohio, and stationed on the Miami circuit as the colleague 
of the Rev. Alexander Cummins. His early association 
with the master spirits of the Church doubtless had a 
happy effect upon his character, in developing those 
traits which distinguished him in the maturer periods 
of his ministry. The succeeding year he was sent to the 
adjoining circuit of Lawrenceburg, where he continued 
till the next conference, at which he was sent to Oxford, 
where he remained two years. In 1820 he traveled Mad 
River circuit, and the following two years Columbus. At 
the expiration of this period he went to Whitewater, and 
from thence he came to Cincinnati, which place he occu- 



412 



SKETCHES OF 



pied with the Kev. Truman Bishop. Here he remained 
one year, and from hence went to Union circuit. The 
next two years he traveled the Scioto district, and at the 
expiration of this time was sent to the mission at San- 
dusky. Here he engaged in the work of preaching to 
the Wyandott Indians, superintending the farm and mis- 
sion school. The tedious process, however, of preaching 
through an interpreter was wholly unsuited to his nature, 
and at the expiration of the year he retired from the 
work to seek a more congenial sphere. The four succeed- 
ing years he was sent to preside over the Portland district, 
and in the year 1833 he was stationed in Columbus, 
where he remained two years, giving full proof of his 
ministry, beloved and respected by all both in and out of 
the Church. Indeed, such was the esteem in which he 
was held that, during the next year, in which it was nec- 
essary for him, on account of his feeble health, to take a 
superannuated relation, he was appointed by the Board 
of Directors of the Ohio Penitentiary, as chaplain to that 
institution. 

He entered upon his labors in the Penitentiary with a 
zeal and devotion characteristic of his truly-benevolent 
heart. He visited every cell, and conversed with every 
prisoner, and his prayers and exhortations were not lost 
upon the hearts of the convicts. Many an obdurate and 
sin-steeled conscience was touched by the eloquence of 
his tears and entreaties to win them from the ways of sin. 
The fruits of his labors in this field eternity can alone 
disclose. He might have avoided much labor, and incur- 
red no charge on the ground of non-attendance of duty; 
but the worth of souls uncared for, as is usually the case 
with the inmates of a prison, pressed heavily upon his 
heart, and awakened all his sympathies. Under these 
labors he broke down, and before the year had expired it 
was necessary for him to resign his post. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



413 



About this time lie visited our house on his way to 
Indiana. He had rigged up a juniper, there being snow 
on the ground, and in that backwoods conveyance he came 
into Bidgeville, the place where we resided. He seemed 
to be laboring under a melancholy, which had, for some 
time, been settling upon him, and his friends were some- 
what apprehensive of the consequences. He was evi- 
dently passing through one of those severe trials with 
which God purines his saints and fits them for heaven. 
There was a cause, however, for his despondency. He 
had given all to the Church — his time, his talents, and 
all — and while he was able to preach all was well. Bright 
faces and open hands greeted him in all his walks; but, 
alas! when disease preyed upon his system, and he was 
no longer able to preach the Gospel, faces were hidden 
and hands were turned away. A man must have had 
more faith than mortal can exercise under such circum- 
stances, not to feel depressed. Before his enfeebled 
mind rose his helpless family — a wife and seven chil- 
dren — and they, in all probability, soon to be left without 
any to provide for their wants. His sad experience too 
thoroughly convinced him how cheerless would be their 
condition when he was gone; and to the Rev. J. C. 
Brooke he opened freely his mind upon the subject. 
Never did we feel more intensely for a poor itinerant 
than we then felt for Bigelow. 

After remaining with us a week on his return, he made 
ready for his departure. The snow had melted, and there 
being no further need for a jumper, Mr. Brooke furnished 
him a saddle and fitted him up. He was loth to leave, 
and lingered about; and when with tears we bade him 
farewell, never to see him again in this world, Mr. Brooke 
gave him all the money he had. After riding off some 
distance on the road he returned, and taking his horse- 
collar and hames he threw them into the yard, all he had 



414: 



SKETCHES OF 



to leave as a memento, the remains of which, we have on 

the farm to this day. 

His work was done, and that devoted, self-sacrificing 
missionary went home to die. For more than twenty 
years he had toiled in the hard field of itinerant life, 
filling, with a zeal and fidelity characteristic of a faithful 
soldier of the cross, every post assigned him by the au- 
thorities of the Church. For a period of nineteen years 
it was said of him, that he had not missed a single ap- 
pointment. Frequent exposures in traveling the hard 
circuits and districts of those days made heavy drafts 
upon his constitution, and ere he had scarcely reached 
" manhood's middle day" he was called from the field of 
his toil and conflict on earth to the scenes of his reward 
and triumph in heaven. In the midst of his sufferings 
he realized a perfect resignation to the will of God, and 
in the language of faith and joy he was enabled to shout 
the praises of his heavenly King. While a brother in 
the ministry was pouring out bis heart in prayer to Grod 
in his behalf, the responses of the dying man illustrated 
the truth that 

" The chamber where he met his fate, 
"Was privileged beyond the common walks 
Of life — quite on the verge of heaven." 

Our sketch would be entirely too meager and unsatis- 
factory did it end here; and such, unfortunately, would 
have been the case, to a very great extent, had it not 
been for the very graphic and faithful pen of Dr. Thom- 
son, who has given a most truthful and beautiful analysis 
of the sainted Bigelow's character. To this description 
we invite the attention of our readers. 

"Russel Bigelow was an extraordinary man, and his 
merits were never fully appreciated even by the Church. 
Of his early history the writer has no knowledge, further 
than that he emigrated, at an early age, from New Eng- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



415 



land to the west, and that, from his youth, being accus- 
tomed to read the Bible upon his knees, he soon became 
remarkable for piety. It is probable that he was favored 
with no more than a good common school education, be- 
fore he entered the itinerancy, of which he was so con- 
spicuous an ornament. I was a student in the beautiful 
village of W. when I first heard of him. Opposite our 
office was a coppersmith, a man of remarkable mind and 
character. He had been reared without any education, 
and had been unfortunate in his business relations; but 
having spent his leisure in reading and in conversation 
with persons of better attainments, he had acquired a 
stock of valuable knowledge, which his grappling intel- 
lect well knew how to use. He was an active politician. 
In times of excitement he gathered the multitude around 
him, and often arrested our studies by his stentorian 
voice, which could drown the clatter of his hammers and 
the confusion even of Bedlam. I think I may safely say 
that for many years he wielded the political destinies of 
his county. Never in office himself, his will determined 
who should be. This man had imbibed skeptical senti- 
ments, which he often inculcated with terrific energy. 
He rarely went to the house of God, and when he did, 
I supposed he might as well stay at home ; for I should 
have thought it as easy to melt a rock with a fagot, as 
to subdue his heart by the ' foolishness of preaching.' 

" One Saturday evening he came into our office with a 
peculiar expression of countenance — the tear started from 
his eye as he said, 'I have been to meeting, and by the 
grace of God I will continue on as long as it lasts. Come, 
young gentlemen, come and hear Bigelow. He will show 
you the world, and the human heart, and the Bible, and 
the cross in such a light as you have never before seen 
them.' I trembled beneath the announcement; for if 
the preacher had prostrated a fainting multitude at his 



416 



SKETCHES OF 



feet, he would not have given me as convincing a proof 
of his power as that which stood before me. This was 
the first account I ever heard of Bigelowj and from that 
time I avoided the Methodist church ; till he left the 
village. 

a One morning of the ensuing summer, my preceptor 
came in and said, <T., come, mount old black, and go 
with me to camp meeting.' 

" T. 1 Excuse me, sir, I have no desire to go to such a 
nursery of vice and enthusiasm.' 

"P. ( 0, you are too bigoted. Presbyterian, as I am, 
I confess I like camp meetings. There man can forget 
the business of life, and listen to the truth without dis- 
traction, and then ponder on it, and pray over it, and feel 
it. Good impressions are made every Sabbath • but they 
rarely bring forth fruit; they are worn away by the busi- 
ness of the week. At camp meeting the heart can first 
be heated, and then, while yet warm, placed upon the 
anvil and beaten into shape.' 

" T. 'I was once at camp meeting two hours, and that 
satisfied me. The heart may be warmed there, but I 
doubt the purity of the fire which heats it.' 

u P. 'A truce to argument. I have a patient there 
I want you to see. You have no objection to go pro- 
fessionally.' 

" T. 'No, sir, I will go any where to see a patient.' 

" It was a lovely morning. The sun was shining from 
a cloudless sky, and the fresh breezes fanned us, as we 
rode by well-cultivated and fertile fields, waving with 
their rich and ripening harvests. After a short journey 
we came to the encampment. A broad beam of daylight 
showed things to advantage ; and I could but think, as I 
gazed from an elevated point, and drank in the sweet 
songs that reverberated through the grove, of some of 
the scenes of Scripture. My rebel heart was constrained 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



417 



to cry within me, 'How goodly are thy tents, Jacob, 
and thy tabernacles, Israel ! As the valleys are they 
spread forth : as gardens by the river's side/ 

" Having visited the sick whom we had come to see, 
we were invited, with great kindness and cordiality, to 
partake of refreshments. The warmth of our reception 
excited my gratitude, and instead of starting home, when 
the horn blew for preaching, I sat down respectfully to 
hear the sermon. Bigelow was to preach. I dreaded 
the occasion; but had always been taught to venerate 
religion, and had never seen the day when I could ridi- 
cule or disturb even the Mohammedan at his prayers, 
or the pagan at his idol. In the pulpit were many cler- 
gymen, two of whom I knew and esteemed — the one a 
tall, majestic man, whose vigorous frame symbolized his 
noble mind and generous heart; the other a small, deli- 
cate, graceful gentleman, whom nature had fitted for a 
universal favorite. Had I been consulted, one of them 
should have occupied the pulpit at that time. All was 
stillness and attention when the presiding elder stepped 
forward. Xever was I so disappointed in a man's per- 
sonal appearance. He was below the middle stature, 
and clad in coarse, ill-made garments. His uncombed 
hair hung loosely over his forehead. His attitudes and 
motions were exceedingly ungraceful, and every feature 
of his countenance was unprepossessing. Upon minutely 
examining him, however, I became better pleased. The 
long hair that came down to his cheeks, concealed a 
broad and prominent forehead; the keen eye that peered 
from beneath his heavy and overjutting eyebrows beamed 
with deep and penetrating intelligence ; the prominent 
cheek-bones, projecting chin, and large nose, indicated 
any thing but intellectual feebleness; while the wide 
mouth, depressed at its corners, the slightly-expanded nos- 
tril, and the tout ensemble, indicated sorrow and love, and 



418 



SKETCHES OF 



well assorted with the message, ' Come unto me all ye 
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest/ 
As he commenced I determined to watch for his faults; 
but before he had closed his introduction I concluded 
that his words were pure and well chosen, his accents 
never misplaced, his sentences grammatical, artistically 
constructed, and well arranged, both for harmony and 
effect; and when he entered fully upon his subject, I 
was disposed to resign myself to the argument, and leave 
the speaker in the hands of more skillful critics. Hav- 
ing stated and illustrated his position clearly, he laid 
broad the foundation of his argument, and piled stone 
upon stone, hewed and polished, till he stood upon a ma- 
jestic pyramid, with heaven's own light around him, 
pointing the astonished multitude to a brighter home 
beyond the sun, and bidding defiance to the enemy to 
move one fragment of the rock on which his feet 
were planted. His argument being completed, his per- 
oration commenced. This was grand beyond description. 
The whole universe seemed animated by its Creator to aid 
him in persuading the sinners to return to God, and the 
angels commissioned to open heaven and come down to 
strengthen him. Now he opens the mouth of the pit, 
and takes us through its gloomy avenues, while the bolts 
retreat, and the doors of damnation burst open, and the 
wail of the lost enters our ears; and now he opens 
heaven, transports us to the flowery plains, stands us amid 
the armies of the blest, to sweep, with celestial fingers, 
angelic harps, and join the eternal chorus, ' Worthy, 
worthy is the Lamb V As he closed his discourse, every 
energy of his body and mind were stretched to the 
utmost point of tension. His soul appeared to be too 
great for its tenement, and every moment ready to burst 
through and soar away as an eagle toward heaven. His 
lungs labored, his arms rose, the perspiration, mingled 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



419 



with tears, flowed in a steady stream upon the floor, and 
every thing about him seemed to say, 'O that my head 
were waters !' But the audience thought not of the 
struggling body, nor even of the giant mind within ; for 
they were paralyzed beneath the avalanche of thought 
that descended upon them. 

"I lost the man, but the subject was all in all. I re- 
turned from the ground dissatisfied with myself, saying 
within me, ' 0, that I were a Christian T 

" It was two or three years after this that, being intro- 
duced into the Church, I became acquainted personally 
with this excellent man, of whose character I propose to 
record what I recollect. 

"1. He was modest. To receive the plaudits of thou- 
sands, without forming a high estimate of one's talents, 
requires much grace. Hence, the orator is generally 
proud. Bigelow preached to audiences as large, and with 
results as astonishing, as we have ever witnessed. Though 
he could not have been insensible of his power, yet he 
appeared to set no high estimate on his superior qualifica- 
tions or endowments ; for he rarely alluded to them, or 
suffered any one else, unrebuked, to do so in his presence. 
He was a perfect gentleman in his deportment — to his 
inferiors kind — to his equals courteous — to those who had 
the rule over him submissive — toward those of elevated 
station independent, yet duly respectful — toward the civil 
magistrate conscientiously regardful, rendering unto 'Cae- 
sar the things that are Caesar's.' Though he scorned not 
the palace, he courted not its inmates; and while the 
circles of fashion delighted to honor him, he 1 conde- 
scended to men of low estate.' Capable of standing, 
like the cedar on Lebanon, he loved the place 

4 Where purple violets lurk 
With all the lowly children of the shade.' 

" Though modest, he was not bashful. Without any 



420 



SKETCHES OF 



thing assuming in look, word, or action, he wag a fine 
illustration of the truth, 'The righteous is bold as a lion/ 
He was as far from diffidence as presumption. Never 
pushing himself beyond his post, he was always ready 
to maintain it. His eye knew not to quail, nor his knee 
to tremble before mortal man. He asked no one to 
stand in his place in the hour of trial or of .duty. Yet 
after the sharpest conflict, and most glorious mental con- 
quest, he was ready to wash the feet of the humblest 
saint. The lark is his emblem, which, after pouring its 
heavenly strains upon the upper skies, descends to build 
its nest upon the ground. It may be matter of surprise 
to some that such a man should be so modest; but the 
explanation is at hand. He knew that he had nothing but 
what he had received. When his wondering audience 
seemed to say, 'He can do all things/ his spirit and man- 
ner breathed the addition, 'through Christ strengthening 
me.' Moreover, he seemed to have a method of hiding 
and diminishing his own excellences, while he sought out 
and magnified those of every one else. He was, how- 
ever, far from every thing mean or low ; indeed, there 
was an exquisite delicacy about all his thoughts, illustra- 
tions, and manners. 

"2. He was humble. If any man could boast of gra- 
ces he could. In him they all abounded — faith that 
works by love, and purifies the heart — hope, the anchor 
of the soul, sure and steadfast — love that burns with an 
even, intense flame, consuming all that ' opposeth or ex- 
alteth itself against the knowledge of God' — zeal, ardent 
and uncompromising, bringing body and soul to the altar; 
and yet he was 

' Of boasting more than of a tomb afraid.' 

He worked out his salvation ' with fear and trembling 
he was meek and lowly in heart; he inserted the petition 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



421 



' forgive us our trespasses' in all his prayers, and felt that 
his best actions needed the 'sprinkling of the blood of 
Jesus/ 

"3. He was affable. His natural sweetness of temper, 
refined by the spirit of Christianity, gave him an unaf- 
fected politeness, which rendered every person perfectly 
easy in his presence. The young approached him as a 
father, the aged as a friend, and both felt encouraged, by 
his engaging air, to express their wants or inquiries with- 
out reserve. There are some whose affability invites 
familiarity, and leads to contempt ; but he mingled with 
his urbanity a dignity which imposed respect, and a so- 
lemnity which banished levity. In his public addresses 
he would go before you as a pillar of fire, but in private 
he would suffer you to lead wherever you desired, taking 
care to follow you like the smitten rock which followed 
Israel, to pour blessings at your feet. His mind, like 
that of Christ, seemed filled with beautiful analogies, by 
which he could rise from the material to the spiritual, 
and make an easy path to heaven from any point of earth 
He could charm even the worldly heart that would hold 
communion with him ) for although he would direct it 
outward from its own defiled chambers, and upward to 
God, he would make the ascent so smooth and green, and 
would throw so much light and loveliness on all the paths 
of piety, that his retiring footsteps would call forth the 
assurance, 1 At a more convenient season I will send for 
thee.' 

"When he spent the night with a religious family, he 
was in the habit of conversing in a religious manner, 
without seeming to aim at it; and when his host lighted 
him to his chamber, he would take him by the hand 
when they were alone, and, alluding to the kindness 
bestowed upon him, would make his own gratitude an 
apology for inquiring into the highest welfare of his 



422 



SKETCHES OF 



hospitable friend. He would speak of God's goodness, 
man's accountability, a parent's influence, a Savior's 
love, an approaching judgment; and when, with stream- 
ing eyes, he bowed down to plead with God for his friend, 
it would seem as though the heart of stone must melt. 
Wherever he went he was hailed as a messenger of God: 
and whenever he departed it seemed as though an angel 
was taking leave. His name still sheds fragrance from a 
thousand family altars. It is impossible to describe the 
estimate in which he is held by those with whom he was 
frequently called to hold communion in the discharge of 
official duty. He was the man whom his brethren in the 
ministry delighted to honor. At the conference, at the 
quarterly meeting, you might see them gathering around 
him to hear his counsel, receive his blessing, and present 
some token of their love. In such seasons he had no 
reason to envy the crowned or the mitered head. No 
incense offered to the conquerer of a hundred of earth's 
battle-fields like the incense offered to him at such peri- 
ods; but he was not vain, and when he was the object of 
kind attention his heart was overwhelmed, and he wept 
as a father in the midst of his children. The stranger 
who witnessed such a scene could not refrain from saying 
in his heart, ' Behold how they love him P 

"4. He was cheerful, notwithstanding his habitual se- 
riousness. Bearing in his bosom a load which might 
make an apostle cry out, C I have great heaviness and a 
continual sorrow in my heart/ he, nevertheless, stood 
aloof from melancholy or despair. The shades of his 
brow were generally like the flying clouds of a serene 
day, which, chasing each other, 1 now hide and now 
reveal the sun.' Meridian faith beamed from his counte- 
nance even in the storm, and threw the bow of promise 
over the darkest cloud. He illustrated the paradox, ' As 
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.' 



WESTERN METHODISM. 423 

* 5. He was frank. Perhaps this is the first charac- 
teristic which a stranger would notice on being intro- 
duced to him. Pie was far from every thing like reserve, 
hypocrisy, or concealment. His thoughts, words, and 
feelings were at ease, his natural language under no 
restraint, and his lips ready to utter the uppermost 
thoughts of his soul. Indeed, his countenance seemed 
so transparent, that you could see his heart as plainly as 
his features. At the same time, he had none of the im- 
pertinence of freedom, nor the indiscretion of openness. 
He was more ready to confess his own faults, than cor- 
rect another's. If he opened his heart it was not from 
conceit, but from natural warmth; and when he poured 
forth its treasures, it was not that they might flow any 
where, but only over those fields which thirsted for re- 
freshment. When he saw a friend in danger, he did not 
hesitate to proffer counsel ; but this he did in such a 
manner as to inspire respect, if not to secure salvation. 
There was no superciliousness or display of superiority — 
no aggravation of the offender's faults — no tone of au- 
thority in his reproof ; but he came upon you with such 
'meekness of wisdom/ such a kind estimate of your vir- 
tues, such a voice of tenderness, that you could not but 
bless him, even though he probed you to the quick. 

" There is a frank man who is not to be depended on. 
He will smile upon you, and promise you a favor, and the 
next moment, if he meet with your enemy, can promise 
him the same; not that he would be false; he is only 
changeable. But his inconsistencies often involve his 
honor, and place his ingenuity upon the rack to rescue 
it. Bigelow's promises were to be relied on. Of him we 
might say, 

' His words are bonds — Ms oaths are oracles— 
His loves sincere.' 

" There is a character that can not be understood — a 



424: 



SKETCHES OF 



perfect mystery. The more you explore it, the more you 
are confounded. It is a Proteus; you know not whether 
to love or hate-— whether to regard it as foe or friend, 
saint or devil. One moment you are allured by an ex- 
cellence, and the next repelled by a blemish. But the 
greatest of all difficulties is, that it communicates with 
the world entirely by artificial language. You can not 
trace it; it seems to adopt its motives by stealth, and 
drag them to its heart as Cacus did the cattle of Her- 
cules to his cave — by the tail instead of the horns ; so 
that if you follow their tracks, you are sure to go the 
wrong way. It can hardly ' take tea without a strata- 
gem ;' and, like the ancient warrior, if it thought its 
coat could tell what it was about, it would burn it. Its 
whole business seemed to be to elude the world, which 
it draws, like a pack of gray-hounds, to its scent. Now, 
the very reverse of all this was Russel Bigelow. 

"I shall never forget the childlike simplicity with 
which, on one occasion, in conversation about the com- 
parative advantages of extempore and written sermons, 
he having dropped the remark, 'My happiest efforts/ 
added, ' 0, pardon me for having used that term in 
speaking of any effort of mine/ A stranger having 
taken him aside, and presented him with a suit of 
clothes, which he much needed, he seized his hand, and 
looking up to him with tearful eyes, said, ' 0, doctor, I 
will pray for you as long as I live !' If about to make a 
speech, he would tell you so, and perhaps explain to you 
the ground he was about to take, and the arguments he 
would employ; so that, if you chose, you might digest a 
reply before his effort was heard. Had he been in Jo- 
seph's place, he, too, would have told his dreams, and 
looked for his brethren in Shechem or in Dotham. 

" 6. He was benevolent and beneficent. Like his Blas- 
ter, he was touched with a feeling of human infirmities. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



425 



He had learned how to weep with them that weep, and 
rejoice with them that rejoice. One needed but to see 
him in the asylum, or the prison, or standing before an 
object of distress by the road-side, or uttering the sym- 
pathies of his broad heart at the pillow of the sick to 
be convinced, without argument, that there is such a 
thing as disinterested benevolence. 

" His faith did not overlook the present world, in its 
concerns for the future; and while he struggled, and 
wept, and prayed for the sinful soul, he did not forget 
the suffering body. Nor was he content with knowing 
the sorrows of those who came in his way : ' The cause 
that he knew not he searched out.' He was emphat- 
ically the good Samaritan. His expansive benevolence 
embraced the whole human family; not that he cher- 
ished the wild speculation that all mankind should be 
regarded alike; but warming his charity at the fireside 
of his sweet home, he bade it expand till it overleaped 
all national boundaries, and natural and artificial distinc- 
tions. He was not of those who content themselves with 
elevated views and warm sympathies, and who say to the 
shivering brother, ' Be thou warmed and clothed.' His 
beneficence knew no limits but his ability. As he re- 
ceived presents wherever he went — and his brethren, 
knowing his worth, would not suffer him to be deficient 
in his allowance — if he had husbanded what he received, 
he would have accumulated money. But his resources 
were expended as fast as they were received, and he died 
poor. Indeed, to those who walk by sight, he did not 
seem to have a proper regard for the wants of his family; 
and when he approached the borders of the grave, the 
sight of his helpless children, whom he was soon to leave 
fatherless, sometimes induced self-reproaches, connected 
with a gloomy despondency in view of the future, "which, 
however, were instantly banished by the recollection of 

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some sweet promise of Scripture, and a view of God's 
tender relation to the fatherless and the widow. 

"•'7. He was liberal in his views. Never compromising 
or disguising the truth, warmly attached to his own Dis- 
cipline, and firmly persuaded of his own doctrines, he 
was, nevertheless, as far from narrowness and bigotry as 
the east is from the west. He delighted to hail every 
Church that bore the banner of the Savior, under what- 
ever uniform or name ; and to the image of Christ his 
heart and hand turned as the needle to the pole. He 
looked with joy upon the prosperity of sister Churches; 
and notwithstanding he felt a deep interest in the welfare 
of his own department of Zion, he never could be accused 
of proselyting : his great aim was to bring honor to Christ ; 
souls to heaven, and glory to God. But although he felt 
so little concern to attract converts into his Church, the 
people would follow him in flocks, as sheep follow a shep- 
herd. 

"8. His character was harmonious. We have heard 
of many a good man whose home was no paradise. Bige- 
low was to his family what he was to his congregation. 
Indeed, his spirit is said to have been, if possible, even 
more sweet and fragrant at the fireside than in the pul- 
pit; and his prayers at the family altar were as fervent 
as those which were audible to the multitude. In short, 
his words and his works, his inner and his outer life, his 
public and his private character, were alike lovely and 
accordant. 

ai Did you know Bigelow?' said the writer to Chief 
Justice L. 'Yes/ he replied; 'and it is one of the 
greatest regrets of my life that I did not know him bet- 
ter. Had I never known him, I should have loved him 
for the effects of his apostolic labors and holy example. 
We were a rude people when he was among us, and we 
never appreciated his worth/ That he had his faults 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



427 



and imperfections, we do not deny ; but they were almost 
lost amid his excellences. Let the poet look out upon 
the plain or the mountain, the gorgeous sunset or the 
thundering cataract; but let me look upon a good man. 
The artist may mold matter into forms of enrapturing 
beauty, and make us feel their elevating and purifying 
influences; but what is the marble Moses of Michael 
Angelo, or the cold statue of his living Christ, compared 
with an embodiment of the Hebrew law and the spirit of 
Jesus in the sculpture of a holy life ? Goethe said that 
he was not half himself who had never seen the Juno 
in the Rondanini palace at Rome. Well, then, may we 
say, that he knows not to what race he belongs who 
has never gazed upon such a man as Bigelow. If an 
angel were to move among us in celestial sheen, with 
what sublimity would he inspire us ! But how much 
more is it to see moral majesty and beauty beaming from 
human clay!" 



428 



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CHAPTER XXXV. 

HENRY B. B ASCOM. 

Bascom was emphatically a western man. Early taken 
to the head waters of the Alleghany, and reared amid the 
wild scenery of his forest home, his mind took its hue and 
coloring from those deep glens and craggy mountains; 
and the native bent which was given to his genius, from 
the sublime and picturesque scenes around him, grew 
with his growth and strengthened with his strength. 
But though reared in the west, and identified with its nu- 
merous interests, and its rapidly-expanding prosperity, he 
was not contracted in his views. His mind seemed to 
have been framed upon the same grand scale, in which 
the Creator had constructed the broad prairies, and mighty 
rivers, and towering mountains of the west. The whole 
country, from where Atlantic surges wash the rocky, 
sterile shores of New England, to where the Pacific's blue 
waters lave the golden sands of California, was his home, 
and he embraced the whole in his broad catholic sympa- 
thies. With him there was no north, no south, no east, 
no west ; and in this respect his mind had a Websterian 
cast — massy, boundless in its sympathies and aims; or, 
like to that of the immortal Clay, whose friend he was 
during his whole life, he rose above all sectional views, 
soared beyond all sectional lines, and embraced his entire 
country in the arms of his benevolence. 

As Webster, and Clay, and Calhoun were types of a 
race of statesmen, which have passed away from the 
political world, so may we say of a Fisk, Olin, and Bascom, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



429 



tney were types of a race of preachers, which, as the rare 
products of an age that is passing, may take a century to 
produce their like again. We would not be sectarian, 
though we thus confine our comparison to the Methodist 
Church j and yet, for solid learning, deep piety, and sublime 
eloquence in the pulpit and on the platform, we know not 
their superiors in any age that is past, as exhibited in any 
of the Churches of the land. They may not have ex- 
celled in Biblical learning, or devoted piety, or pulpit 
eloquence, according to the standards of the great master 
minds of some other Churches, but, according to our judg' 
ment, none excelled them in a union of all these. 

However pleasant and perhaps profitable it might be to 
indulge in such a train of thought, and pursue it so as to 
resolve, as far as possible, the distinguished traits which 
characterized these great minds into their elements, and 
thereby form an analysis for the study of the youth of the 
present day — a model upon which future character might 
be constructed — we must forego that pleasure, and proceed 
at once to the subject of our chapter. 

There was something very remarkable in the youth of 
Bascom. Very soon after his conversion, which occurred 
at a camp meeting on Oil creek, he gave evidence, in the 
relation of his religious experience and prayers, of a 
power and eloquence unusual to boys of his age. At one 
time he went from home to attend a quarterly meeting at 
Franklin. His singular appearance, with his fox-skin cap 
and rude backwoods dress, attracted the attention of 
every one present; but when, at love-feast, on Sabbath 
morning, he rose and spoke of his conversion and the 
love of a Savior, every heart was thrilled, and as the 
rough exterior sparkled with the light and fire of the soul 
within, the people wondered more at the boy than they 
had before been surprised at the rusticity of his appear- 
ance. 



430 



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On. Monday morning, Mr. William Connelley, who was 
a merchant in Franklin, took him to his store and gave 
him a new hat and some other articles to fit up his ward- 
robe. Mr. C. was subsequently, for several years, a mem- 
ber of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and from some cause 
or other lost his property and became poor. Traveling in 
the west, he stopped at Cincinnati, and being destitute 
of means, among strangers, he called upon Dr. Elliott, in 
Cincinnati, and asked for the loan of a few dollars to take 
him home. The Doctor promptly took out his wallet and 
handed him all he desired, saying, "Take that, brother, 
and welcome, for giving young Bascom a hat." 

Soon after his father removed to the wilds of the west, 
and settled on the banks of the Ohio, nearly opposite to 
where the city of Maysville now stands, where he en- 
gaged with his family in farming pursuits. Many years 
afterward, while a professor of moral science at Augusta, 
he often visited the residence of his father, several miles 
above, on the Ohio side of the river. Here he has been 
seen with his coat off, and with mattock in hand, grubbing 
out the roots and briers of the soil. One season he pre- 
pared the soil and tended twelve acres of corn, at the 
same time attending to all his duties in College. 

In the year 1812, at a quarterly conference, held on the 
Scioto, not far from Portsmouth, in a stone house still 
standing, he was recommended to the Western conference, 
to be received into the traveling connection. That rec- 
ommendation, written and signed by the Rev. Robert W. 
Finley, is now in the possession of Dr. Elliott, together 
with numerous other documents of olden time, pertaining 
to Methodism in the west. 

His peculiar talents as a preacher were early developed. 
He seemed at once to rise to eminence as a pulpit orator. 
The graces of oratory, which others gain, like Demosthenes 
by a severe and tedious process, with him were gifts of 



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431 



nature, and not the product of education. We are 
strongly inclined to the opinion that the proverb " poeta 
nascitur non Jit," applies with equal force to orators, 
though perhaps not to the same degree. Such was the 
case, we believe, with Bascom; he was born an orator, and 
to have cast his genius in any model would have destroyed 
his power. God makes but few such men. Towering up 
like Himalaya, or sublimely grand like Niagara, they 
stand out apart from their species to excite our wonder. 

We were forcibly struck with the saying of a grave 
divine, who had been listening with intense and thrilling 
interest to Bascom in one of his loftiest moods, and who, 
on being asked, after the sermon, what he thought of the 
man, replied, "I did not think of the man at all. My 
mind was wholly absorbed in the contemplation of the 
character of the God who created him." Exhibitions of 
greatness and power in nature invariably send us up to 
nature's God. We wondered not at the saying of this 
grave and talented divine. Similar impressions have 
doubtless been elicited from others. Who that witnesses 
the tempest careering in majesty and leveling forests in 
its course, but has his thoughts transferred to the awful 
Being who " rides upon the whirlwind and directs the 
storm ?" We once kneeled down on the verge of an 
overhanging cliff, and turned our ear to take in the full 
thunder of Niagara, as it rolled, a hundred feet below 
us, its everlasting bass, and such a sense of the majesty 
and power of God possessed us, as we were never con- 
scious of before. We rose from our knees and shouted, 
"God !" 

Father Taylor, of Boston, himself a child of nature, 
and boiling over with native eloquence and wit, was once 
listening to Bascom, as he was delivering one of his 
series of lectures on Infidelity, in Green-Street Church, 
New York, The old man eloquent stood by one of the 



432 



SKETCHES OF 



pillars that support the gallery, and not far from the 
pulpit. As the lecturer proceeded, Father Taylor became 
more and more interested, and he was seen, unconsciously, 
to begin to raise his cane, elevating it gradually, as 
though he was indicating the orator's progress. There 
he stood, like a statue slightly inclined, drinking in every 
word till he heard the last, when, with his cane finally 
extended at arm's length above his head, he exclaimed, 
" Grand I" 

Blessed with extraordinary powers, and a brilliant native 
genius, all that he needed was an appropriate direction, 
and a cultivation correspondent thereto; and we most 
firmly believe that, in the order of Providouce, he was 
thrown into the very sphere of life where he was fitted to 
move, with as much adaptation, in regard to his nature, 
as the planets are adapted to their appointed spheres. 
Had his genius been cramped by the laws of the schools, 
which are often about as useful in making an orator as a 
note-book would be to a nightingale, or as the laws of 
motion and sound would be to the dash and roar of 
Niagara, the thunder of whose anthem is the voice of 
nature, we might have had, and doubtless would have 
had, a Bascom polished with all the arts of elocution j but, 
like the nicely-adjusted and exquisitely- wrought autom- 
aton, there would have been a stiffness in his move- 
ments; and although the precision which should mark 
them would indicate the wonderful power of art, still we 
should have had nothing but the mimic artificial man. 

Nature is the fountain from whence the orator must 
draw his inspiration, and the field whereon he must 
develop his powers. As the eagle, who soars away from 
the homes and the haunts of man, to bathe his undazzled 
eye in the sunbeam, and pillow his breast upon the storm, 
so the child of genius must become familiar with Nature 
in all her aspects. One of the most eloquent divines, of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



433 



the same school of theology to which Bascom belonged, 
discourses thus on this subject: "The orator must be 
much at home, that is, he must study himself ; his own 
nature, and powers, and states of mind; and he must be 
much abroad, that is, he must go out and study Nature in 
all her moods." It is said of Cole, the great artist, that 
he studied Nature instead of the great masters, and the 
result was, that he excelled all the artists of his day, in 
transferring natural scenery to the canvas. His " Gar- 
den of Eden," and " Voyage of Life," two of the greatest 
productions of his pencil, were conceived from nature. 
As all the lines of Nature are lines of beauty, so are all 
her movements, and he who would be truly effective and 
graceful as an orator, must follow no other copy. Bas- 
com has been heard to say, in reference to the composi- 
tion of his sermons, that a room was so contracted it had 
an influence upon his thoughts, and he could only think 
freely and grandly when out in the midst of nature, 
beneath her boundless skies and extended landscapes. 
It is said that an Indian mound, in Kentucky, is pointed 
out to the traveler as the spot whereon he composed 
some of his greatest sermons. 

It is seldom we see the blessings of poverty, and yet we 
believe that the very curse pronounced on man in Eden, has 
been attended with the greatest blessings, and has wrought 
out the most incalculable good to man. Bascom's father 
was poor, and in addition to this he had a large family 
to maintain by the sweat of his face. Had he been rich, 
the probability is that young Henry would have been 
gent to college, and then the idea of his being an itin- 
erant preacher would have never been conceived. Hav- 
ing received but a limited education, at the early age of 
sixteen he entered the itinerancy as a freshman, in one 
of nature's colleges, in western Virginia. 

The records of the Church show us, that he was 
37 



434 



SKETCHES OF 



received into the ranks of the itinerancy in the year 1814, 
and went through his preparatory course in the wilds of 
Ohio, as the colleague of the Bev. Alexander Cummins; 
and after having completed his academical curriculum, he 
was sent out alone, the following year, to the wilder re- 
gions of western Virginia, to travel the Guyandotte circuit. 
We have already spoken of the grand and gloomy scenery 
embraced in this extensive circuit. Here he was sub- 
jected to all sorts of privation, toils, and hardship, but he 
endured all as a good soldier; and it was here, ascending 
the towering hights, or urging his way through the deep 
mountain gorges, or plunging into the rapid rivers and 
breasting their swelling tides, that his character as a 
preacher was developed. Frequently did he have to 
travel forty miles a day, through the unbroken solitudes 
of the wilderness, without rest, without food, and at night, 
in some lone cabin, would he pour out his full heart, 
in strains of Gospel eloquence, upon the rude and simple- 
hearted backwoods hunters, collected from different and 
distant points to hear him. On one of his solitary jour- 
neys he was followed for several miles by a large panther, 
which threatened at every moment to spring upon him, 
and from which he was only rescued by reaching, at night- 
fall, the cabin of a settler. Here, when he had a few 
hours for rest, would he retire to the woods as his study, 
and amid the rocks and grand old trees, all standing as 
nature made them, untouched by the hand of man, he 
would prepare his sermons. This he would do by walking 
back and forth, forming his plans, selecting his words, 
constructing his sentences, and uttering them; which 
being done, he would lay them up in the capacious store- 
house of his memory, to be brought therefrom at his 
bidding, with all the rapidity of thought. We believe 
that this custom, adopted from necessity in the woods— 
for in a region infested with rattlesnakes and panthers, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



435 



it would not be safe to sit or recline — lie transferred to 
the parlor and the garden, in towns and cities. 

At one time he ventured to recline, with his Bible, 
beneath the towering, outspreading branches of an oak, 
at one of his distant appointments, near the head waters 
of Elk river. He possessed, to a great degree, the power 
of abstraction, and it was not long till his soul was in- 
tently engaged in taking full draughts from the fountain 
of inspiration. In the midst of his spirit reverie he was 
aroused by the cry of a hunter, in tremulous tones, telling 
him, at the peril of his life, to lie still till he fired. 
Quickly glancing his eye in the direction from whence 
the voice came, he saw his friend, with his rifle elevated, 
and pointing toward the branches of the tree under 
which he was lying. Familiar as he was with backwoods 
life, Basconi saw that some terrible danger was hovering 
over him, and without the least perceptible motion of his 
body, he turned his gaze upward, when he saw on the 
branch of the tree, just over him, and not more than 
twenty feet distant, a huge panther, drawn up and just 
ready for a spring. It was a fearful, awful moment. The 
least motion on his part would have been the signal for 
a spring, and his fate would have been sealed forever. 
In that awful moment, when death seemed inevitable, 
with a self-control and a courage truly wonderful, he con 
tinued perfectly quiet, till the keen crack of the rifle was 
heard, and the ferocious beast, pierced by the unerring 
aim of the backwoods hunter, fell lifeless by his side. 

At another time, while traveling this same circuit, he 
stopped, on his way to an appointment, at a log-cabin, 
recently erected by the road-side. Stopping for rest and 
refreshment, not long after dinner was ready, and he 
sat down with the family to dine. A lovely little child, 
about three years of age, which had attracted his attention 
by its innocent mirth and its gentleness, was playing 



436 



SKETCHES OF 



before the door, while the family were engaged around 
the homely repast, when suddenly a heart-piercing cry 
was heard. 

"My child! my child!" screamed the mother, and 
quick as thought all rushed to the door. 

Father of mercies ! what a sight was presented to that 
fond mother ! A terrible panther had sprung upon that 
unconscious child, and was ascending a tree with it in his 
mouth. 

" The gun ! the gun ! quick, for Grod's sake, the gun 1" 
franticly exclaimed the father. 

But Bascom had seized it from the rack, and was 
already in quick pursuit. He fired, and the ball pierced 
the panther, and brought him to the ground with its 
victim ; but, alas ! life had fled. Thus, amid such wild 
scenes and daring adventures, the first years of our young 
itinerant's life were passed. 

When the fame of the eloquent young preacher first 
reached our ears, we were traveling on the West Wheel- 
ing circuit, in another part of the conference. Though 
rumor spoke, with glowing tongue, of his matchless and 
enchanting power in the pulpit, and we were prepared, as 
we often have been before, by such exaggerated descrip- 
tions, to be disappointed when we should have the oppor 
tunity of hearing him, yet, when that time came, which 
it did at conference, where he was literally surrounded 
with a battery of critics' eyes, in the persons of preachers, 
we were ready to say, after a long-drawn breath, when he 
had ended a most intensely-thrilling discourse, in the 
language of the Queen of Sheba, on her visit to Solomon, 
u The half had not been told us." Those who never heard 
him till after his soul had been caged in the cramped 
and narrow cell of scholastic study, and shorn of its 
freshness, strength, and power, by inhaling the atmosphere 
of a pent-up city life, can have but a faint conception of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



437 



what lie was, when he communed with nature and nature's 
God, and breathed the pure air of the mountain, in the 
bright and palmy days of his itinerant life. In the ex- 
pressive language of one who was intimately acquainted 
with him, " Those who heard him then will never forget 
the feelings that he produced. The deep, thrilling tones 
of a voice then unimpaired by hardship and overexertion, 
now melting into the soft, melodious accents of love, and 
now bursting forth in thundering denunciations of the 
world's ungodliness, never failed to stamp upon the hearts 
of his hearers impressions lasting as life itself. At one 
moment his audience, moved by the charming pictures of 
his pencil, would be all radiant with smiles ; at another, 
the pathetic, touching, and heart-moving scenes, which 
he would describe, would force tears of sympathy down 
the cheeks of the most obdurate; and then, in an instant, 
by the magic of his burning eloquence, he would make 
the whole congregation tremble, so wondrous, so real, so 
terrible was his Rembrandt-sketch of the doom of the 
impenitent. He controlled his audience at will. Per- 
fectly familiar with all the motives of the human mind, 
and all the impulses of the heart, he could cause his 
hearers to smile with joy, or weep with penitence, or 
tremble with remorse, at pleasure. No man possessed a 
more fruitful imagination. His descriptions fairly glit- 
tered with poetic gems. Touched by his master hand, 
every picture of life assumed the charm and glow of 
beauty, or glared with the most hideous deformity, just 
as it suited his purpose. I well remember a discourse on 
the vanities of life, delivered by him some years ago ; and 
never did all the charms and attractions of this world 
appear so little and so worthless to me as on that occasion. 
His description of the dalliances of the world, the siren 
whisperings of Ambition, and the luring charms of Pleas- 
ure, surpassed in beauty and power any thing I remena- 



I 



438 



SKETCHES OF 



ber to have heard from the lips of man. His power aa 
an orator was, no doubt, greatly aided by his fine person, 
his open, manly, honest expression of countenance, and 
his keen, piercing black eye. That eye none could de- 
scribe. A venerable citizen, who knew him well, has 
often told me that, while Dr. Bascom was preaching, he 
could never ' unfix ; his gaze from that earnest, soul-pen- 
etrating eye. 'Why/ said he, ' whenever he was de- 
nouncing any mean passion, or secret, ungodly propensity, 
his dark, keen eye seemed to look right through me, and 
say to my self-condemned spirit, c "Thou art the man." ' " 
He possessed that indescribable power, that magnetic 
charm, if we may so term it, with which all true orators are 
gifted, and which never fails to move the souls of men. 
What he described was real, and men saw it and felt it 
as a thing of life. A deep, earnest soul, and resolute 
and brave, was Henry B. Bascom. We will relate an 
incident as illustrative of his character, which occurred 
wnen he was connected with Augusta College. He had 
crossed the river to attend a meeting. During his dis- 
course in the evening, he took occasion to come down 
with terrific, scathing denunciation upon the profane 
swearer. It is said that whatever citadel of vice or 
infidelity he attacked, so direct and powerful was his 
artillery, that he left nothing but the smoldering ruins. 
It being necessary for him to recross the river that night ; 
it was agreed by a number of rough boatmen, who were 
writhing under his sermon, that they would ferry him 
over and retaliate upon him for his severity. Bascom 
entered the skiff, and they started from the shore. They 
had not proceeded far till they commenced a concert of 
oaths, horrid enough to make the cheek of darkness itself 
turn pale. There sat the preacher, wrapped up in his 
cloak, in the stern of the boat, apparently unconscious 
of what was transpiring. They became enraged at his 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



439 



stoicism, and raved and cursed like fiends from perdi- 
tion, who had graduated in the dialect of the damned. 
When they were nearing the Kentucky shore, one of 
them asked him if he was not a preacher. To this he 
responded in the affirmative. 

" Why, then," said he, " don't you reprove us for our 
ewearing V 

" You may swear till you break your necks, for aught 
that I care," replied Bascom, fully conscious of their 
design to abuse and insult him. 

One, who in later years heard Bascom, said of him as a 
preacher, " His delivery, naturally most eloquent, was 
injured, strangely as the assertion may sound, by being 
made to conform exactly to the matter delivered. It was 
his writing, in other words, that marred his delivery. Had 
he always spoken without writing, and formed the habit 
of easy, correct, extempore elocution, he would have been 
almost any thing that eloquence could have demanded." 
Had this friend known him in his early days, and been 
permitted to have heard him, he never would have 
spoken thus, because Bascom had formed the very " habit " 
of which he speaks, and had attained the high position 
for eloquence which such a habit secured. This criticism 
serves as an illustration of what we have already said; 
namely, that the systems of the schools, which, unfortu- 
nately, controlled him in after life, was what, to a great 
extent, destroyed his power as an orator. It was, in 
truth, "writing that marred his speaking;" but, notwith- 
standing all these disabilities, we aver that he had no 
superior in the world. Other speakers may have excelled 
in the beautiful, or the pathetic, or the fanciful, but foi 
sublimity and grandeur, either as it regarded matter or 
manner, we confidently believe he was without a rival. 
We have heard him when it was painful to listen; when 
the souls of his vast auditory, wrought up to the highest 



SKETCHES OF 



intensity by his awfully-sublime descriptions, seemed 
ready to burst with emotion. Nor yet was he wanting 
in the beautiful. We have been borne away by his elo- 
quence, as on beds of violets, to soft elysian bowers, and 
have almost breathed the air and heard the songs of 
heaven. But we have a word more in regard to the 
knowledge and eloquence which is to be derived from the 
study of nature. In this age, when books and colleges 
are flooding the land, it would be well for us to call our- 
selves back a little to the study of nature, where we find 

" Books in the running brooks, 
Sermons in stones." 

An eloquent divine, at the head of one of our colleges, 
says, " How much better this unwritten knowledge than 
all written : it is unerring, adapted to each case. It was 
an experiment of modern times to restore a sick body by 
transfusing the blood of a healthy one into its veins; but 
it was unsuccessful, because the transfused current was 
not in a proper relation to the vessels which received it : 
it irritated and bloated the sinking system. Too much of 
our learning is of this kind — a transfusion of thought into 
channels unadapted to it, which only vitiates and puffs 
them up. The sick soul, like the sick body, must restore 
itself; its vital organs must be aroused to vigorous action 
before its streams can be enriched and purified. 

"We in this land should be the last to complain of bar- 
renness of mind ; for the new world is around us. Alas ! 
alas ! we are thrashing over and over again the old world's 
dry straw instead of thrusting the sickle into the new 
world's green and waving harvest. These cloud-capt hills 
are strewn all over with legends ready to be bound into 
the bundles of Homeric odes and epics. These venerable 
woods stand thick with God's own thoughts; they leap 
by us in every deer that crosses our path, and fall upon 
us in every descending leaf. New forms of human love, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 441 

and sympathy, and sin, and suffering, look out from those 
cabin windows and burning brush-heaps, from yonder 
cane-brakes and the far-off wigwams. We have book- 
teachers enough. for more bookless ones I" 

We have absolutely been sickened at the stereotype 
process by which preachers have been made in our col- 
leges. They are the merest casts from some model 
teacher, and every thing about them is an imitation 
tneir very tone of voice and manner of delivery, to the 
pointing of a finger, or the shake of the head, and even 
the alamode of their dress and walk are all the most 
servile imitation. Nature is smothered to death, and 
buried beyond the hope of a resurrection. And yet we 
would not eschew books nor colleges. God forbid ! We 
want them all, but we want natural men, whose flash and 
thunder in the pulpit come from the Bible and the great 
battery of nature. Though Bascom, in later years, had 
lost, to some considerable extent, the power of 

" Sending his soul with every lance he threw," 

yet he never lost the power to charm, and he never 
preached to an audience but that 

" Their listening powers 
Were awed, and every thought in silence hung, 
In wondering expectation." 

What Grattan said of the Irish orator, may with equal 
appropriateness be said of Bascom: "When young, his 
eloquence was ocean in a storm; when old, it was ocean in 
a calm; but whether calm or storm, the same great ele- 
ment, the sublimest and most magnificent phenomenon 
in creation/' 

But there were other traits of character, concerning 
which we must be permitted to allude in our sketch. 
Stern and sedate, as one might think, wrapped up in the 
solitude of his own thoughts and feelings, he possessed a 



442 



SKETCHES OF 



heart filled with the kindliest sympathies. He was quite 
as ready to 

" Feci another's woe," 

and to hide another's faults, as many who have consid- 
ered him selfish and indifferent. It is not always those 
who have the most feeling that give evidence of it in 
their manner. Some hearts are like fountains on the 
surface, always seen — open to the gaze of all — others are 
like fountains hidden among the rocks, yet clear, trans- 
parent, full, and free. A frown may sometimes be on the 
brow, and the tearless eye indicate no feeling, when the 
heart is ready to break with tenderness ; and then, again, 
we have seen smiles spread over the countenance, when 
stormy passions raged within. God looks at the heart, 
and we are to judge no man from appearance. Indeed, 
one of Bascom's faults, if it were a fault, was almost in- 
variably to take the part of the oppressed, or to choose the 
weaker side of almost any question, without duly weighing 
the merits thereof. His error, however, in this respect, 
was pardonable. To pursue a man to "the bitter end," 
because of a difference of opinion, and, with bigotry and 
prejudice, question his motives and condemn his actions, 
was never the character of Bascom. He was above it, as 
far as the towering Alps, which bathes its pure summit 
in the light of heaven, is above the clouds and mists that 
creep along its sides and encircle its base, and we pity 
the man who could pursue so noble a spirit, or breathe an 
unworthy suspicion over his memory. 

But he was independent; and we hesitate not to say, 
that, had it not been for his rare and commanding tal- 
ents, he never would have been regarded, by the majority 
of the Church, as sufficiently safe to have been intrusted 
with any prominent ecclesiastical position. Never was 
man, from the very commencement of his ministerial 
career, through all its periods, down to the very close 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



443 



almost of his eventful life, more stoutly, bitterly, perti- 
naciously opposed, than was Bascom. Providence itself 
seemed to frown upon him, as he struggled with the 
hardest fortune all through life. But why was this ? 
We have thought his mighty spirit required such severe 
discipline to school it for heaven. Like Schiller, he 
literally passed through storm, and tempest, and fire, to 
heaven, and yet, like Elijah and Daniel, he went un- 
scathed. He rose, however, despite of all opposing ob- 
stacles, to the highest summit of human greatness, and to 
the occupancy of the most distinguished posts of honor 
and trust in the gift of that branch of the Church to 
which he belonged. From a President of Madison Col- 
lege, and Professor, in Augusta, he was promoted to the 
Presidency of Transylvania University. When the liter- 
ary department of that institution ceased, he was elected 
editor of the Southern Quarterly Review, and finally a 
bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, which 
distinguished office he held when he died. 

Much might be said of this great man in Israel, who 
has been taken from our midst. We are sorry we could 
not do the subject more justice. Had it not been that 
our sketches of western preachers would have been in- 
complete without a notice of one who grew up in our 
midst, and filled the country with his fame, we would not 
have undertaken it. What we have written is almost 
entirely from personal recollection, not having a single 
scrap of material within our reach. We are aware that 
his life has been written and published, but, with all our 
efforts, we have not been able to procure a copy; and we 
had delayed writing this sketch till this late hour in the 
composition of our book, hoping to have some data from 
which to draw, to enable us to give a more satisfactory 
outline of the life and character of that wonderful man, 
but we have been disappointed. We hope our readers 



444 SKETCHES OF 

will regard it as a slight tribute to the memory of one 
whom we regarded as the greatest of American pulpit 
orators. 

He is gone. Our Bascom is no more. The light that 
shone, kindled from God's altar, in that intellect, which 
was clear as an angel's, has not gone out; it has only 
ceased to shed its radiance and glory upon the earthly 
sphere. In yonder heaven, undimmed, it shines forever. 




4 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



CHAPTER XXXYI. 

SAMUEL HAMILTON. 

In apostolic times there was among the ministers of 
Jesus a Paul, an Apollos, and a Cephas, all possessing 
striking characteristics, that in the wide range, under 
the diversities of gifts communicated, the Church might 
be supplied with a ministry adapted to all its peculiari- 
ties. This variety, in the order of Providence, has been 
kept up in the Church to the present day. The keen, 
logical mind of a Paul, the fervid eloquence of an Apol- 
las, the intrepid boldness and zeal of a Peter, and the 
mild, persuasive, simple eloquence of a John, all have 
their representatives in ministers of the present day. 
Such a variety in mental constitution, physical tempera- 
ment, disposition, and education is admirably adapted to 
the itinerant system of the Methodist Church, because 
the variety of talent is diffused over the Church, and 
there can be no monopoly of any peculiar gifts, grace, 01 
usefulness, as exhibited in the ministry, by any one par 
ticular congregation. We have often thought there was 
as much difference in the mental as in the physical con- 
stitution and conformation of our race, and that every 
man possessed an individual character peculiar to him 
self, and as distinguishable from the rest of his species 
m his features differed from all others; and that it would 
be as impossible to find two minds exactly alike in every 
respect as it would be to find two faces exactly corre- 
sponding in features. 

As it regarded the toils, and hardships, and privations 



SKETCHES OF 



of the early preachers of the west, there was a wonderful 
identity. There was then no post of ease and honor to 
be occupied by a Methodist preacher — no presidencies 
and professorships of colleges, no editorships or agencies, 
no splendid stations with large salaries, no easy circuits 
with only Sabbath appointments, to be reached on turn- 
pikes and railroads — no, there were none of these things; 
and yet the ministers of those days went to their work, 
and continued in it as cheerfully as the ministers of the 
present day fill the various appointments assigned them. 
But while among the early preachers there was an iden- 
tity in regard both to the kind and quantity of labor in 
which they were engaged, there was, nevertheless, as 
great a diversity of talent as is found among them at the 
present day. We will not particularize, lest we should 
be considered presumptuous, or, perhaps, invidious in our 
comparisons; but whoever reads our biographical sketches, 
will be able to discover diversities of temperament, tal- 
ents, and character as great as ever characterized the 
ministers of the Gospel in any period of the Church's 
history. 

Samuel Hamilton belonged to a class distinctly marked. 
His position among the itinerant ranks the reader will 
be able to fix after he shall have read our sketch. He 
was the youngest son of William Hamilton, who emi- 
grated from Western Virginia, in 1806, and settled in 
the wilds of Muskingum. Having purchased his land, 
and made every preparation for settling upon it, he 
called all the members of his household together, and, 
like Abram in Mamre, erected an altar, and consecrated 
his family and possessions all to God. This patriarch, 
with his devoted and pious wife, having given themselves 
and children to God in an everlasting covenant, were en- 
couraged, by God's promise, to expect that the children 
of their faith, and prayer, and godly example, would soon 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



447 



give evidence of the work of grace upon their hearts. 
At the removal of his father to Ohio, Samuel was in the 
fifteenth year of his age. His mind was early impressed 
with the importance of religion, and his tears and pray- 
ers gave evidence that the world and its pleasures could 
not fill the aching void in his aspiring soul. In the year 
1812, when he was in the twenty-first year of his age, he 
attended a camp meeting, held on the lands of Joseph 
Thrap, in the bounds of Knox circuit, where he was pow- 
erfully awakened under the ministration of God's word. 
It was impossible for him to suppress the deep and over- 
whelming convictions of his soul, and in agony he cried 
aloud for mercy. For days and nights, in a distress bor- 
dering upon despair, he sought for pardon. We had 
witnessed his anguish, and the unavailing cries of his 
heart for mercy, and all the sympathies of our nature 
were deeply aroused in his behalf. We took him to the 
woods, and there, in the solitude and deep silence of the 
night, with the curtains of darkness around us, we fell 
prostrate before God in prayer. We arose upon our 
knees, and embraced him in our arms, while, with 
streaming eyes and faltering voice, he exclaimed, "0 
Lord, I do believe ! Help thou mine unbelief I" Then, 
in a moment, quick as thought conveyed by lightning, 
the blessing of pardon came down, and heaven filled his 
soul. Instantly he sprang to his feet, and, like the man 
in the " beautiful porch/' he "leaped, and shouted, and 
praised God " for the delivering grace he had obtained 
in that distressful hour. 

At this time we were traveling the circuit on which 
his father lived, and we had the pleasure of aiding the 
young convert in taking up his cross. He was zealous, 
determined, and active, and the Church and world alike 
saw that God had a work for him to do. He exercised 
his gifts in exhortation, and sinners were awakened and 



44:8 



SKETCHES OF 



converted through his instrumentality. In the year 
1814, at the conference held in Cincinnati, he was ad 
mitted on trial as a traveling preacher. His first field of 
labor was the Kanawha circuit. The circuits in Western 
Virginia at that time were called the Colleges of the 
Methodist Church, where the young preachers were sent 
to get their theological education, or, in other words, 
take their theological course. Sometimes they were 
called " Brush Colleges j" at other times, the fields 
where the conference broke its young preachers. Some 
of the most prominent of our western preachers took 
their first lessons in the itinerancy upon this field. 
Here, amid the dense forests and flowing streams, the 
logical and metaphysical Shinn pored over his books, on 
horseback, as he traveled to distant appointments; and 
here, among the craggy mountains and deep glens, the 
eloquent Bascom caught his sublimest inspirations. In 
this wild region the preachers had to encounter much 
toil and hardship; and while they lived on the simple 
fare of the country, consisting of hominy, potatoes, and 
"mountain groceries/' they were not afflicted with those 
fashionable complaints denominated dyspepsia and bron- 
chitis. As a specimen of the trials of Methodist 
preachers, we will relate an incident that occured in the 
year 1836. One of the preachers of the Ohio confer- 
ence, having reached his circuit, and finding no house 
for his family, built for himself a shanty out of slabs, on 
the bank of the Gaulley river. Having furnished his 
wife with provisions for a month — that being the time 
required to perform his round — consisting of some corn- 
meal and potatoes, he started out upon his circuit. To 
reach his appointments, which were sometimes thirty 
miles distant, it was necessary for him to take an early 
start. One morning, after he had progressed about half 
round his circuit, he started for an appointment which 



WESTERN METHODISM 449 

lay on the other side of one of the G-aulley mountains. 
It had rained through the night, and having frozen, the 
earth was covered with a sheet of ice. The travel was 
difficult even on level ground, so slippery was the surface; 
and unless it should thaw, the itinerant felt an appre- 
hension that it would be difficult to ascend the steep 
sides of the mountain. Instead of thawing, however, 
the weather grew colder; but there was no retreat. His 
appointment was before him, and the mountain must be 
crossed. At length, after passing for some distance 
through a narrow valley, he came to the point where his 
narrow path led up the ascent. It was steep and diffi- 
cult, and his horse would frequently slip as he urged him 
on. On the right the mountain towered far above, and 
on the left, far down, were deep and frightful precipices; 
a single misstep, and horse and rider would be dashed to 
pieces on the rocks below. After ascending about two- 
thirds of the elevation, he came to a place in his mount- 
ain path steeper than any he had passed over. Urging 
his tired but spirited steed, he sought to ascend; but the 
horse slipped. Seeing his danger, the preacher threw 
himself olf on the upper side, and the noble animal went 
over the precipice, bounding from rock to rock, deep 
down into the chasm below. The preacher retraced his 
steps, and on coming round to the point where his horse 
had fallen, he found him dead. Taking off the saddle, 
bridle, and saddle-bags, he lashed them to his back, and 
resumed his journey, reaching his appointment in time 
to preach. The balance of the round was performed on 
foot, and at the expiration of four weeks from the time 
of starting, he joined his companion in her cabin, on the 
bank of the river, thankful for the providence which 
had returned him safely home. 

Here young Hamilton studied theology and human 
nature, in both of which he became well versed. His 

38 



450 



SKETCHES OF 



preaching talents were peculiar, and often did he make 
his discourses sparkle with wit and eloquence. Some- 
times he would indulge in a rich vein of humor, which 
without letting down the dignity of the pulpit, would 
send a thrill of delight among his audience. JSTo one 
enjoyed a little pleasantry more than himself; and having 
a peculiar horror for any thing like a sour godliness, he 
may, at times, have gone a little too far over to the other 
extreme. He had a quick perception of the ridiculous, 
and was not very well able to command himself even in 
the pulpit when any thing occurred to excite that sense 
in his mind. We recollect of his telling us of an occa- 
sion of this kind, which occurred at a meeting on the 
waters of the Little Kanawha. At a certain appointment 

there lived a Colonel , whose family were members 

of the Church, and who had a respect for religion, though 
he was too fond of the world to make a profession thereof. 
He was regular in his attendance, and on the occasion 
to which we have alluded, he was in his seat, attended by 
a neighbor of his, who was respectable enough, with the 
exception that at times he would lose his balance under 
the influence of intoxicating liquor. He had taken on 
this occasion just enough to make him loquacious without 
being boisterous. Hamilton, after singing and prayer, 
arose and gave out for his text the first Psalm, which 
reads as follows : " Blessed is the man that walketh not 
in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way 
of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scorn er," etc. 
He entered upon the discussion of his subject by showing 
what was to be understood by walking in the counsel of 
the ungodly ; and as he entered upon the description of 
the ungodly, and their various wicked ways and bad 
examples, he saw the friend of the Colonel punch him 
in the ribs with his elbow, and overheard him say, 
"Colonel, he means you." "Be still," said the Colonel, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



451 



"you will disturb the congregation." It was as much as 
the preacher could do to control his risibles ; but he pro- 
gressed with his subject; and as he described another 
characteristic of the ungodly in standing in the way of 
sinners, the force of the application was too strong to be 
resisted, and the Colonel's friend, drawing up closely, 
elbowed him again, saying, "He certainly means you, 
Colonel." "Be quiet, the preacher will see you/' whis- 
pered the annoyed man, while he removed as far from 
him as he could to the other end of the seat. The 
preacher had arrived at the third characteristic of the 
ungodly; and as he, in earnest strains, described the 
scorner's seat, the Colonel's friend turned and nodded his 
head at him most significantly, adding, in an under tone, 
"It's you, it's you, Colonel; you know it's you." By 
this time the most of the congregation were aware of 
what was going on, and cast significant smiles and glan- 
ces at one another. Those who understood the features 
of the speaker could easily discover that he was moving 
along under a heavy press of feeling, and unless some- 
thing should occur to break the excitement, he must 
yield to the impulses of his nature. Just at this crisis 
a little black dog ran up the aisle, and, stopping directly 
in front of the pulpit, looked up in the preacher's face, 
and commenced barking. The scene was ludicrous 
enough ; but how was it hightened when the Colonel's 
friend rose from his seat, and deliberately marching up 
the aisle, he seized the dog by his neck and back, and 
began to shake him, exclaiming, "Tree the preacher, will 
you? tree the preacher, will you?" Thus he kept shak- 
ing and repeating what we have written, till he arrived 
at the door, when, amid the yells of the dog and the 
general tittering of the audience, he threw him as far as 
he could into the yard. This was too much for Hamil- 
ton, and he sat down in the pulpit, overcome with laugh- 



452 



SKETCHES OF 



ter. It would have been impossible for him to have 
resumed his subject, or even to have dismissed the con- 
gregation. Suffice it to say, that preaching was done for 
that day; and ever after, when the Colonel went to Church, 
he was careful that his friend was not by his side. 

Samuel Hamilton was well instructed in the doctrines 
and discipline, and peculiarities of Methodism, and 
wherever he went his labors were appreciated, and 
souls were blest. His next field of labor was Barnes- 
ville circuit; and having completed his year of service on 
that field, he was sent successively to Steubenville and 
Marietta. While on the Marietta district, subsequent to 
this date, he furnished for the Methodist Magazine a 
sketch of Methodism in Washington county, which, while 
it will give the reader a specimen of his style as a writer, 
will also furnish a faithful history of the first settlement 
in Ohio, and the rise and progress of Methodism. In 
his preface to this sketch he says, "If such historical 
facts have not buoyancy enough to sustain them in this 
age, let them be joined to others more buoyant, and they 
will float down the stream of time, and be taken up hj 
the historian of coming years as a valuable prize." That 
his facts possess buoyancy enough to float down the 
stream of time, we leave the reader to judge. 

"The county of Washington was the first organized 
county in the North-Western territory. The town of 
Marietta, the seat of justice, is situated at the junction 
of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, in latitude thirty- 
nine degrees, twenty-eight minutes, and forty-two sec- 
onds north, and in longitude four degrees, twenty min- 
utes west of the city of Washington. 

" In 1787 a company organized themselves in Boston, 
and took the name of ' The Ohio Company/ The prin- 
cipal part of this company were officers and soldiers in 
the Revolutionary war ; men who had spent their time ; 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



453 



strength, and property in giving birth to our nation, and 
who had but little at the end of that great national 
struggle, excepting the final settlement-notes given them 
by the Government, as a remuneration for their services. 
Those brave fathers of our nation, being unsupported by 
pensions, found it difficult to submit to the heavy hand 
of poverty in a country full of wealth; they, therefore, 
exchanged with the General Government their final set- 
tlement-notes for a million and a half acres of wild land 
in Ohio. One hundred thousand acres of this land were 
given to actual settlers — one hundred acres each. One 
thirty-sixth was given for the support of common schools, 
and as much more for the support of the Gospel. Two 
townships — or 46,080 acres — were given for the support 
of a state seminary. All this was done to invite emi- 
grants, and for the good of posterity. 

"On the 7th of April, 1788, forty-seven men landed 
on the spot where the town of Mariet a now stands. No 
traces of human beings were to be seen, excepting the 
marks of the ax-man who followed the surveyor, the 
recently-deserted wigwam of the modern Indian, and the 
mounds, covered ways, and fortifications of a people ' un- 
known to song/ Immured in an immense wilderness, 
this band of brothers were permitted to taste the sweets 
of solitude for a season ; but the temperate climate, fer- 
tile soil, and flattering prospects of the country, soon 
induced others to follow them. Thus their number in- 
creased, and their prospects brightened, till 1790. It 
was then found that the country could muster four hun- 
dred and forty-seven men, one hundred and three of 
whom had families. But as their prosperous sun was 
rising to its meridian splendor, in a fatal hour it was 
obscured behind a dark and portentous cloud ; nor did it 
again appear with its wonted brightness for four years. 

" In 1791 the Indians became hostile, and their hos- 



454 



SKETCHES OF 



tilities continued for four years. Considering the exposed 
situation of the whites, their means of defense, and the 
disparity of their numbers, it is utterly astonishing how 
they sustained the shock so long. Had it not been for 
the undaunted courage, unbending fortitude, and pro- 
found skill of those veterans, who had been educated in 
the school of daDger, they must have fallen victims to 
the relentless fury of their savage enemy. It was their 
business to defend themselves. This they did so effectu- 
ally that they lost but thirty in all — twenty-three killed, 
and seven taken prisoners. In 1795 they hailed with 
delight the return of peace, left their fortifications, and 
returned to their farms. 

"The first settlers were principally Predestinarians, 
subdivided into Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and a 
few regular Baptists. Soon after the first company 
landed, a Church was organized in Marietta, and Doctor 
Story became the officiating minister in the congregation. 
From this time a form of godliness was kept up by them ; 
how much of the power they possessed we are not pre- 
pared to say. The united testimony, however, of the 
people who lived in those days, and saw things as they 
were, leads us to conclude that vital piety was at a low ebb. 
Professors appear to have met the world's people on mid- 
dle ground, offered up a peace-offering, and engaged with 
them in all the amusements and pastimes of the age. So 
great was the amalgamation of light and darkness, that 
an angel's eye might have failed to draw the line of 
demarkation between the man of the world and the mem- 
ber of the Church. In this condition Methodism found 
the great mass of the people in Washington county — in 
their own estimation rich, and increased with goods, and 
having need of nothing, and knowing not that they were 
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 

"lleece Wolf — a local preacher — in a letter to me, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



455 



writes thus: 'In April, 1798, I settled on the little Ka- 
nawha, Wood county, Virginia. At that time Methodism 
was unknown in this country. As soon as I came I com- 
menced preaching, and the next fall and winter a revival 
took place. I made up a class of twenty-one members, 
and soon found I had more work to do than I well could 
perform. I cried to the Lord for help ; I wrote a letter 
to Bishop Asbury, and another to the Baltimore confer- 
ence, to be held in Stone Chapel, near Baltimore, the next 
spring. In June following I had the best kind of evi- 
dence that God and the Church had heard my Macedo- 
nian cry. Brother Ilobert Manley was sent on to our 
help, and the little flock I had gathered submitted to the 
government of the Methodist Episcopal Church/ 

" June 1st, 1799, Mr. Manley took charge of the infant 
Church in Wood county, Virginia. He appears to have 
spent nineteen days in that part of the country, where 
he found five or six preaching-places. These limits were 
quite too small for a man whose heart burned with zeal 
for the glory of God and the salvation of men, and who 
had received a commission from the great Head of the 
Church to preach the Gospel to every creature. He, 
therefore, cast an anxious eye across the Ohio river, where 
he saw a vast territory on which a Methodist preacher 
had never set his foot, and in which many families were 
indeed destitute of the bread of life. He beheld theii 
souls in ruin, and hasted to give them relief, by setting 
before them the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. On 
the 20th he crossed the Ohio, and came into Marietta, 
but found no rest for the sole of his foot — no Laban to 
say to the servant in pursuit of a spouse for his Master, 
' Come in, thou blessed of the Lord f for an itinerant 
Methodist preacher, Methodist doctrines, and Methodist 
economy, were to this people as strange and unlooked for 
as Columbus's ship and party were to the natives of our 



456 



SKETCHES OF 



land It was not his object to pull down others, but to 
feed the destitute with the bread of life; he, therefore, 
left the town, and directed his attention to the more des- 
titute but less jealous people of the country, hoping to 
find some noble Bereans, who would test him and his 
doctrines by the infallible standard of truth. In his 
first tour he visited each settlement in the county — found 
a Presbyterian, a Congregational, and a Baptist minister; 
Dut many new and small, but growing neighborhoods, 
were totally destitute of all sanctuary opportunities. In 
the most of those settlements he found open doors for 
his reception. He also found Solomon Goss, and two 
members of his family, who had experienced the blessed 
effects of Methodism in their own hearts. This family, 
when on their way from the east to Ohio, stopped a sea- 
son in West Liberty, where they were awakened and 
converted to Glod by the instrumentality of T. Fleming. 
If others opened their doors through vain curiosity, to 
hear what the babbler could say, this family opened 
theirs from the noblest and best feelings of their hearts. 
As their attachments to the Church were early in their 
beginning, so they have been deep and constant to the 
present time. 

"This was an eventful 3 7 ear; for in it the public mind 
became deeply and correctly impressed with the beauty 
and importance of a plan perfectly adapted to the wants 
of a new and thinly-populated country. The way was 
opened, a number of small classes were formed, and a 
circuit was organized in Ohio; and much good seed was 
sown that ripened into maturity in after years. The 
next year Jesse Stoneman and James Quinn were sent 
on to take charge of these little flocks in the wilder- 
ness. Thus a regular succession of ministers has been 
kept ^^p for thirty years, each watering in his turn the 
seed sown by the other ; during which time the ranks of 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



457 



the wicked one have been greatly thinned, and the re- 
gions of glory peopled with many immortal souls. 

" A number of years now passed with good success in 
the country. The classes which had been formed flour- 
ished in the principal part of the neighborhoods. Many 
had experienced 'the washing of regeneration, and the 
renewing of the Holy Ghost/ and loved the Church with 
great tenderness. But in town every effort appeared to 
be weak and unsuccessful. In 1804 the undaunted and 
deeply-pious George Askins made a bold push, and ap- 
pointed a camp meeting in town, on a spot of public 
land. The members from the country erected a stand, 
fixed their seats, and pitched their tents ; the people of 
the town attended, looked shy, and stood at a distance. 
And while the bending heavens broke in blessings on 
the former, there were no mighty works done among the 
latter, because of unbelief. The preachers broke up the 
meeting with mingled emotions, cast down and disap- 
pointed for the town, but grateful to God for what he 
had done for the country. All agreed to pray for the 
outpouring of the Spirit of God on Marietta. The next 
year Jacob Young and G. C. Light appointed a second 
meeting on the same ground. The congregation met as 
before. Great seriousness pervaded the whole assembly, 
and the sons of Levi were anointed afresh to explain to 
and enforce upon the people the nature and necessity of 
salvation. Many saw its importance, and felt that with- 
out it life is a maze of error and wickedness, death a 
gulf of horror and misery, and eternity a scene of indig- 
nation and wrath. The grace which accompanied the 
ministration of the word wrote the law of God upon many 
hearts, both in town and country. Of those in town, 
Jonas Johnson was the most prominent. This man had 
been a disciple of Thomas Paine. He was a most charm- 
ing singer, and had a great redundance of wicked songs, 

39 



458 



SKETCHES OF 



In this way he exerted an influence over, and led men 
who possessed intellects far superior to his own. When 
Johnson returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of his 
soul, he did it with all his heart, and in a short time 
came out in religion as bright as the noonday sun. In a 
few days he committed his infidel oooks and obscene 
songs to the flames; supplied their places with the Holy 
Bible and a Methodist Hymn-book ; and, like Obed Edom 
opened his house to receive the ark of the Lord. Hal- 
hived house of grateful memory I In a short time a lovely 
little class was raised up to worship God in spirit and in 
truth. For months and years together this class seldom 
ever met to worship without being assaulted by a lawless 
mob, who stoned the house, broke the windows, fired 
squibs, and covered the chimney, in order to annoy the 
worshipers with smoke, and drive them from the house 
of God. In this way a number of years passed. Some 
of the members let patience have its perfect work; but 
others were in danger of fainting. About this time God, 
in his merciful providence, raised up a few young men 
who knew their legal privileges, and who put down those 
heaven-daring mortals that had persecuted their fellow- 
men for no other crime than that of living godly in 
Christ Jesus, and enjoying their inalienable rights as 
free men. Those young men, by Divine providence, took 
Methodism in Marietta under their protection, and nur- 
tured her as a mother would her first-born. Some of 
them have long since gone to their reward, while others 
have grown gray in the good work, and are this day pil- 
lars in the Church of God. 

"Frorn this time till 1809, the growth of the Church 
in town and country was like the well-set tree that takes 
deep root, and promises to stand the pelting storms of 
coming years. Then the Gospel net fell into the hands 
of a man who drew good and had into the Church, but 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



459 



was not careful to separate the precious from the vile. 
This mismanagement led gainsayers to reproach the 
ministry with glorying more in quantity than quality; 
introduced lasting difficulties into the classes, loaded the 
succeeding pastor with many painful duties, and gave 
ample testimony that it is less difficult to get bad men 
into the Church than it is to prove their guilt and get 
them out again, when their good and the interest of 
the Church require it. This reproach being wiped away, 
by separating the wheat from the chaff, the chasm was 
filled up by men of the first standing, who gave a weight 
and influence to Methodism which it never had before in 
this place. A number of years now passed. The smiles 
of Heaven rested on the Church, and the mighty power 
that attended the word preached, and the living faith 
and unshaken confidence of the members in Grod, made 
her indeed like an army with banners; and had she kept 
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, it is difficult 
to say to what extent she would by this time have spread 
her branches. But, alas! men do not know how to value 
the legacy given to them by Jesus Christ, when he said, 
' My peace I give unto you/ 

"In 1819 the spirit of disaffection entered in, and 
brought with it all its soul-destroying poison. The labors 
of many years wilted at its unhallowed touch, like herb- 
age before the winter's frost. To see its desolating rav- 
age was enough to break the heart of a good man. In 
1825 the old men took an alarm, and gave the next con- 
ference a tender but faithful account of their situation ; 
and petitioned the conference to send them some man 
who would regulate their Church matters. The Ohio 
conference had felt many fearful apprehensions for Mari- 
etta circuit. They took the subject into deep and prayer- 
ful consideration; and that indefatigable man, L. S , 

was selected and sent to this circuit, with special orders 



460 



SKETCHES OF 



to examine the state of the Church, and to attend to the 
Discipline. He felt the weight of his appointment, flew 
to God for help, and came in the fullness of the blessing 
of Christ. His divine Master was with him, and blessed 
him in all he did. The heathen story of the Phenix 
rising to splendor out of its own ashes, would no more 
than illustrate the change produced in the Church on 
that circuit, under the administration of this highly- 
honored servant of God. 

"When alive to God, the Church has, at all points, 
and at all periods, met her share of opposition — not, in- 
deed, directly or always from men of high standing, 'but 
from lewd fellows of the baser sort/ who are frequently 
the degrading instruments of others acting behind a 
screen. The spirit of opposition has frequently turned 
Methodist preachers out of meeting-houses belonging 
to other denominations, and shut public school-houses 
against them, with a manifest intention of putting them 
down. But, in about as many instances, this kind of 
opposition has had a contrary effect. Instead of putting 
them down in such places, it has led their friends to 
double their exertions to build houses of worship for 
themselves. In this way the Church has frequently 
gained permanency by the very means intended for her 
downfall. Under these circumstances, in different neigh- 
borhoods, two or three men of moderate property have 
been known, with their own funds, in a short time, to 
build houses of worship, to the utter astonishment and 
confusion of their enemies. If a jealous distance, scowl- 
ing contempt, and gross misrepresentations, be calculated 
to inflict wounds, then Methodism has been lacerated 
often and severely, as well as he who said, 'Of the Jews 
five times received I forty stripes save one/ 

"The system of doctrines held and propagated by the 
Methodists in Washington county, met a tide of opposi 



WES TEEN METHODISM. 



461 



tion for many years. Its principal antagonists were Pre- 
destinarians. When Methodism was in its infancy, those 
men treated its doctrines with the most sovereign con- 
tempt; and in its more advanced state, it was scouted 
out of 'good company' and fine meeting-houses as a 
dangerous heresy. All this time the Methodist ministers 
were preaching in the flowing language of the Bible, 
with as much confidence in the correctness of their doc- 
trines, and as great indifference to contempt, and scorn, 
and opposition, and persecution, as if they knew every 
being in the universe believed every word they were say- 
ing. In this way their sentiments elicited investigation, 
and gained ground daily, till many rallied around their 
standard. A great conflict of sentiments among the 
people was the natural consequence. In this state of 
public excitement, in 1808, the people of Belpre pro- 
posed a number of questions, touching those doctrinal 
points affirmed by Calvinists and denied by Methodists. 
They called two ministers to discuss those questions in 
public. Two days were spent in the discussion, and a 
great concourse of people attended. The Rev. Samuel 
P. Robins took the affirmative, and the Rev. Solomon 
Langdon the negative side. Each had his admirers, but 
no salutary effects were produced either way; for, it is 
feared, too many came out in the pride of their hearts 
to see the fight. If the people of Belpre saw the light, 
they still loved darkness, and, therefore, failed to make a 
clear distinction between the doctrines of general j-edemji- 
tion and those of a particular salvation. They, in con 
sequence, blundered into all the errors of modern Univer- 
salism. The subject then returned to the people of the 
county, who have not rendered a verdict in form, but 
have in effeet. For if it be certain that the ingenious 
speculations of Descartes were overthrown by the more 
practical philosophers of the Baconian school, it is not 



462 



KETCHES OF 



less certain that high-toned Calvinism has suffered the 
like overthrow from Methodism in this county. 

" The relative standing of the principal Christian 
denominations in the county at present is as follows : 
The Presbyterians have four ministers, two hundred and 
forty Church members, and five meeting-houses — two of 
them very good, the rest old, unoccupied, and in a decay- 
ing state. The Congregationalists employ a Presbyterian 
minister, have one hundred and eighty Church members, 
and one splendid meeting-house. The regular Baptists 
have one meeting-house, three small congregations, sup- 
plied by ministers from a distance, who visit them occa- 
sionally. The Methodists have two traveling and four 
local preachers, one thousand and twelve members, thir- 
teen meeting-houses, and fourteen other stated preaching 
places, where the congregations meet in school-rooms 
and dwelling-houses. All have their Bible, missionary, 
tract, and Sunday school societies, doing about what they 
can to promote the good cause of Christ in the world. 
When we look over the history of our sister Churches, 
and see what they were once and what they are now, we 
are struck with the change that has taken plac* for the 
better, and can not help thinking that one member of 
this family has provoked the rest to love and to good 
works. 

" Notwithstanding Methodism has been assailed by 
fierce and contrary winds, like the sea-tossed bark, she 
has possessed, and still possesses, some redeeming prin- 
ciples, which have at all times exerted a saving influence 
in Washington county. These are, First. Her plan; by 
which she meets the wants of the outskirts of human 
population, as well as the city full; that sends the Gospel 
to the poor as well as to the rich; and that distributes 
the various gifts of the ministry far and wide. Second. 
Her doctrines; which, if fairly explained, and properly 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



463 



understood, are calculated not to insult, but to carry con- 
viction to the minds of all attentive and unprejudiced 
men. Third. Her manner of preaching ; by which she 
instructs her ministers to stand at a proper distance, on 
the one hand, from senseless vociferations, as little calcu- 
lated to correct the heart as to inform the judgment; 
and, on the other, from that criminally-cold indifference 
that makes truth look like fiction. Occupying this 
ground, she encourages them to grasp their subjects in 
all their extent, and to suffer themselves to be wrought 
up by a sense of their vast importance to the highest 
pitch of mental and devotional energy. 

"We have seen Methodism in her infancy cast out and 
trodden under foot ) and we have seen her, in her riper 
years, put on her beautiful garments, and walk abroad in 
the greatness of her strength. These things admonish 
us to 'rejoice with trembling/ If God has been with 
us, and made us a people who were not a people, we 
should rejoice greatly in the Lord, and incense of praise 
and gratitude should ascend to him from our feeling 
hearts, like smoke ascending from an ever-burning altar. 
But if myriads follow, and look up to us for the bread of 
life, we should tremble under a sense of our high respon- 
sibility, and the account we must render to our Judge. " 

In the year 1819 brother Hamilton was transferred to 
Missouri, and stationed on the Indiana district, which 
he traveled four consecutive years, and at the expiration 
of which time he was retransferred to the Ohio confer- 
ence. His appointment was the Marietta district, which 
he traveled four years. From this district he was sent to 
the Kanawha district, which he traveled two years, and 
then successively the following circuits; namely, Asbury, 
Irville, Rehoboth, and Deavertown. In all his vast 
range of travel, and amid all the toils and conflicts of 
his itinerant life, he never for a moment faltered in his 



SKETCHES OF 



work. His friends were numerous wherever he went; 
and he understood that trait of the apostle Paul, to be 
all things to all men, so that by all means some might 
be saved. This he was enabled to be, in an eminent 
degree, without blowing hot and cold with the same 
breath. While he mingled, with ease and dignity, 
among the great, commanding their respect and esteem, 
he also condescended to men of low estate. His talents 
were, as we have already intimated, sui generis. He had 
a manner of illustration peculiarly his own, seeming to 
have taken no man for his model. Sometimes he would 
indulge in a vein of irony and sarcasm that was wither- 
ing to the systems and principles he opposed. He was 
very plain in his dress, and any one, on meeting him, 
would be sure to guess he was a Methodist preacher. 
Indeed, he seemed to take delight, as he called it, in 
showing his colors. He was of the medium hight, thick 
set, with a bland, open countenance, indicative of great 
good feeling. His manner of preaching was somewhat 
peculiar. He would always divide his subject, with the 
greatest exactness, into a few simple heads, or proposi- 
tions, after which, if there were any terms of importance, 
he would define them clearly, and then proceed, slowly 
and cautiously, in the discussion of his subject, illustra- 
ting the whole with the most appropriate figures, drawn 
from real life. Toward the close he invariably warmed 
up, and became vehement. In this respect he resem- 
bled the eloquent Christie, though he had not the same 
intense and fiery ardor. Though not exactly a memoriter 
preacher, that is, he did not write and commit his ser- 
mons, yet, like some few we have known, the very thoughts 
and words which he employed in the delivery of a ser- 
mon, would occur on its repetition even years after. He 
was evidently a master-workman, and none were more 
successful than he in the various fields in which he was 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



465 



called to labor, as the results have abundantly and clearly 
shown. 

His last field, as we have already seen, was Deavertowr. 
circuit. While engaged in the performance of his min- 
isterial duties on this circuit, he was attacked with a 
slight stroke of paralysis, which, for a short time, dis- 
qualified him from hard labor. Still, he continued in 
his loved employ, as his strength permitted, till a second 
attack, which totally prostrated him, and put an °nd to 
all his labors in the ministry. For two years he lingered 
in a helpless condition, yet he patiently and pleasantly 
awaited the will of his heavenly Father, full of faith and 
the Holy Spirit. No complaint ever escaped his lips; 
but keeping his eyes fixed upon the bright and joyous 
inl.eritance of the saints in light, when the messenger 
cama, conscious of his dissolution, he said, in soft, sweet 
toneij, to his spirit, " Arise, the Master is come, and 
calleth for thee." Then his worn-out and broken-down 
tabernacle went to the dust, and his happy soul, on wings 
of faith and love, entered the " building of God, the 
house kot made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 



466 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

WILLIAM H. RAPER. 

Among that class of preachers who entered the itiner- 
ancy, in the beginning of the present century, was the 
Eev. Win. H. Raper. That he was born in troublous 
times, is evident from the fact that a block-house, be- 
longing to one of the military stations in the wilds of 
western Pennsylvania, was the place of his birth, which 
event occurred in the year 1793. 

His father was a surveyor under the G-overnment, in the 
North-Western territory, which made it necessary for him 
to be much from home, in the discharge of the duties of 
his office. His mother was one of the matron pioneers of 
the west, and among the first class of Methodists in the 
North-Western territory. She was a woman of exemplary 
piety, of great faith and devotion. She was also a patriot 
mother of the Revolution, as her subsequent history, in 
relation to her sons, most abundantly shows. 

When William was quite young his parents removed to 
Columbia, on the Ohio, a few miles above Cincinnati, 
where his early days were spent, in those sports and em- 
ployments incident to frontier life. When he reached 
his nineteenth year his thoughts were turned to war. 
Having two brothers in the army of General Hull, whose 
base surrender has forever associated his name with an 
ignominy little less than that which attaches to Arnold, 
a call was made for volunteers, and the young American 
joined the company of Captain Stephen Smith, and went 
forth to try the rigors of the camp and field. Not long 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



after entering the company, the sergeant being disquali- 
fied, by sickness, from filling his post, young Raper was 
chosen to the office. He felt an ambition to fill with 
honor and bravery the post assigned him, and labored 
with zeal and diligence to become master of all the arts 
of war. 

A day or two before the battle of the Thames, his com- 
pany was ordered to march up the Lake, some fifteen 
miles, to prevent the landing of the British. The en- 
gagement took place during their absence, and the battle 
was nearly closed before the company arrived on the 
ground. This circumstance rendered it necessary, as 
Captain Smith's company was now the strongest, that it 
should take charge of the prisoners of war, which had 
been taken by Commodore Perry and General William 
Henry Harrison, and bring them to the Newport station. 
All the officers who ranked above Raper in the company 
having taken sick, the command devolved upon him. It 
was a responsible undertaking, but, as the sequel will 
show, the young officer proved himself adequate to the 
emergency. The company consisted of one hundred sol- 
diers, and the number of prisoners amounted to four 
hundred. Every arrangement being made, they com- 
menced their march. On their route it was necessary 
for them to cross the Black Swamp, which, at that season 
of the year, was nearly covered with water, which ex- 
tended for miles through a drear and desolate wilderness. 
In their march the company became bewildered and lost, 
and the commander was at his wits' ends to know what to 
do. For three days and nights they wandered about in 
the swamp, without food. The company had become 
scattered, and on the morning of the third day he found 
himself with a guard of only twelve men, and about one 
hundred prisoners. The prisoners, seeing the weakness 
of the guard, resolved on a mutiny, and refused to march, 



468 



SKETCHES OF 



threatening to kill the few who had them in charge. No 
time was to be lost, and Raper, calling out his men, drew 
them up in line and commanded them to make ready for 
the emergency, which they did, by fixing their bayonets 
and cocking their guns. In this position both parties 
stood for some time. At length, finding that the prison 
ers refused all entreaties to march, the commander gave 
them five minutes to decide, and if, at the expiration of 
that time, they did not march, he would fire and charge 
upon them. At the end of each minute he announced 
the fact, but they would not move. When the last 
minute had expired the soldiers were commanded to pre- 
sent arms, take aim, and — but before the word fire had 
escaped his lips, a large Scotch soldier, fresh from the 
Highlands of his native country, cried, hold ! and, step- 
ping aside, asked the privilege of saying a word. The 
captain asked him if it was for peace. To which he re- 
plied in the affirmative. The privilege was granted, and, 
addressing his fellow-prisoners, he said, "We have been 
taken in a fair fight, and are prisoners, honorably so, and 
this conduct is disgraceful to our king's flag, and is not 
the conduct becoming true soldiers, but disgraceful to 
ourselves and country. Now," said he, "I have had no 
hand in raising this mutiny, and I propose that all who 
are in favor of behaving themselves as honorable prison- 
ers of war, shall come to me, and we will take the others 
in hand ourselves, and the American guard shall stand by 
and see fair play." This speech had the desired effect, 
and the mutiny was brought to an end without bloodshed. 

Raper continued in charge till he delivered them over 
at Newport, opposite Cincinnati. A few years ago we 
met with an old soldier, one of that company and guard, 
who told us that Mr. Raper was considered one of the 
best soldiers and bravest men in the army; that he had 
seen him under almost every position in which a soldier 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



469 



could be placed, and never saw him evince the least fear 
They had among the prisoners two Indians, who, after 
very severe threatenings, and, indeed, at the point of 
Kaper's sword, finally led them out of the swamp. That 
evening they reached a settlement, where they obtained 
provisions, and, notwithstanding the efforts of the officers, 
many of the men killed themselves by. eating. 

After his arrival at Newport with the prisoners, he was 
offered a commission in the regular army, which he con- 
sented to take, provided it was agreeable to the wishes of 
his mother. Such was his love for her, that he would 
take no important step without first consulting her. His 
mother's answer was characteristic of the noble mothers 
of that day : " My son, if my country was still engaged 
in war, and I had fifty sons, I would freely give them all 
to her service; but, as peace is now declared, and there is 
no such necessity, as a Christian mother, therefore, I can 
not consent, for I think something better awaits my son 
than the mere camp-life of a soldier in time of peace." 
We have often heard him speak with gratitude, in view 
of this advice of his mother, and that he felt it a far 
greater honor to be a humble minister of Jesus Christ, 
than to have been at the head of the American army. 
He, accordingly, declined the commission, and returned 
to his former occupation, which was that of a tanner. 

In the spring of 1816 he joined the Church, under 
Rev. Russel Bigelow, at the house of Judge Ransom, at 
Newbury, Clermont county, Ohio, and after months of deep 
penitence, he was converted. Shortly after he assisted 
in holding meetings in his neighborhood, and the next 
year was employed by the presiding elder, on what was 
then called the Miami circuit. 

In the year 1819 he was received on trial in the trav- 
eling connection, at the conference held at Cincinnati, 
and appointed to Madison circuit, with the Rev. Henrjr 



470 



SKETCHES OF 



Baker for a colleague. We will give some incidents con- 
nected with his early itinerancy. While traveling in 
Indiana, upon the first visit to one of his appointments, 
after the meeting was closed, a fine, large man approached 
him and called him brother, and said, "I knew you the 
moment I saw you, but I suppose you have forgotten me." 
Brother Raper told him he did not remember to have 
ever seen him. "Well, sir," said the man, "I am the 
Scotch soldier that made the speech to the prisoners, the 
morning of the mutiny in the Black Swamp." Their 
meeting, under such a change of circumstances, was re- 
marked by brother Raper as being very delightful, when 
he added, " After we were exchanged as prisoners of war, 
my enlistment terminated. I had been brought to see 
the justice of the American cause, and the greatness of 
the country. I determined I would not return to the old 
country. I commenced working at such labor as I could 
find. I saved a little money, came to this state, rented 
some land, and opened a farm. I have joined the Meth- 
odist Church, and, praise God! the best of all is, I have 
obtained religion. And not among the least of my bless- 
ings in this new country, I have a fine wife and a noble 
child. So, come," said he, "dinner will be ready by the 
time we get home." All other claims from the members 
had to be set aside this time, and the two soldiers, now 
as friends and Christians, were permitted to renew their 
acquaintance. They were ever after fast friends. 

At another time, having lost the direction on a strange 
road after night, he crossed at the mouth of a creek, 
which empties into the Ohio, where it was, perhaps, fifty 
feet deep, when the Ohio river was very high. The 
mouth of the creek being full of drift logs and brush, and 
it being dark, he mistook the drift for a bridge, and went 
upon it; he thought it was a very shackling kind of a 
bridge, but passed over, leading his horse, without injury, 



WESTEKN METHODISM. 



471 



although, when upon it, he feared his horse would fall 
through, and knew no better till the next morning, when 
he was told of his danger by the family, to whose house he 
had been attracted late in the night, by seeing the light 
from their cabin window. But for that cabin he would 
have had to remain all night in the woods, as he had 
done several times before. 

During that year he swam his horse thirty-two times, 
in order to reach his appointments. On one of these 
swimming excursions he met with a singular incident. 
His horse, by some means, became entangled while swim- 
ming, and sank, throwing him off. It was a cold morn- 
ing, a little before sunrise j and being incumbered with 
a great-coat and leggins, he found it very difficult to 
swim ; but, with great effort, he succeeded in catching 
hold of the limb of a tree, which was hanging over the 
stream, where he was enabled to rest and hold his head 
above the water. While thus suspended in the stream, 
the thought rushed upon him, " Mother is praying for 
me, and I shall be saved/' After thus resting, for a 
moment or two, he made the effort and got ashore. His 
horse had also made a safe landing, having the saddle- 
bags on his back all safe. His clothes and books were 
wet, and himself very much chilled by the early bath. 
But while this was going on with himself in the stream, 
his mother, some eighty or a hundred miles distant, that 
morning awoke suddenly as from affright, when this 
thought rushed upon her, "William is in great danger;" 
when she sprang from her bed, and falling on her knees, 
prayed for some time in intense supplication for his 
safety, when she received a sweet assurance that all was 
well. When they met and related the facts, and com- 
pared the time and all, they precisely agreed. 

As a man he was honorable and high-minded. In the 
language of the Committee on Memoirs, written by ono 



472 



SKETCHES OF 



who was a companion with him on the well-fought field 
of itinerant life : 

u Brother Raper's ministerial qualifications, taken alto- 
gether, were far above the medium grade. Blessed with 
an extraordinary memory, he acquired a very large amount 
of historical and general information, and possessed the 
happy art of turning all to good account. Some minis- 
ters excel in some things pertaining to their office, and 
fall behind in others; but brother Raper succeeded well 
in almost every particular. He was a profound theolo- 
gian, mighty in the sacred Scriptures, readily perceived 
the line separating truth and error, and evinced superior 
logical skill in advocating the one and opposing the other. 
Under his ministry thousands of souls have enlisted in 
the cause of Christ, many of whom went before to hail 
him welcome into everlasting habitations, while others 
yet follow him as he followed Christ. While this gen- 
eration lives on earth, he and his labors will be remem- 
bered with delight by many both in and out of the Church. 
Spiritual gifts were conferred on him in great variety. 
He sang delightfully and usefully, and was highly gifted 
in prayer and exhortation. He was an eloquent preacher, 
an able expounder of the word of life, a very judicious 
administrator of Church discipline, and a faithful and 
affectionate pastor. 

" Whether on a circuit, in a station, or over a district 
as presiding elder, he appeared to be alike at home, and 
every-where useful. His stated ministry was exercised 
chiefly in Ohio and Indiana; but his connection with 
several sessions of the General conference, and subse- 
quently with the General Mission Committee, caused him 
to be well-known about the eastern cities, where he was 
highly esteemed. Indeed, his amiable social qualities, 
superior conversational powers, and rich fund of useful 
incidents, gathered from practical life, not only gained 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



473 



him access, but secured him warm personal friends 
wherever he went. But few men had more admirers, and 
none more devoted bosom friends, either lay or clerical, 
than had brother Raper. It must not be inferred, however, 
from any thing here stated, that brother Raper never had 
enemies. 

u No one could expose sin as he did, plainly and fear- 
lessly, without exciting opposition. On one or two occa- 
sions, in the earlier part of his ministry, some attempts 
were made to do violence to his person, if not to take 
away his life ) but the Lord preserved him from harm, 
and the man who made the most daring attempt upon 
him was on the same day, by his faithful preaching, 
awakened, sought and found mercy, and became an ac- 
ceptable member of the Church. Brother Raper was 
always disposed to put the best constructions upon the 
conduct of others, and ever ready to forgive an injury; 
and now he is where the wicked cease to trouble, and the 
weary are at rest. 

" In the early part of February, 1852, he accompanied 
Bishop Morris to Aurora, Indiana, to attend a quarterly 
meeting and visit his old friends in that place. There he 
preached his last sermon, with peculiar clearness and 
effect. On Tuesday, the 10th of February, he started for 
home, in company with Bishop Morris, on the steamer 
Forest Queen. He was attacked some time in the night 
with spasms, and when his condition was discovered by 
the brother who was in the same room, consciousness was 
gone. The boat being in port, medical aid was immedi- 
ately had, and all that human skill could do was done, 
but to no saving effect. He was carefully and tenderly 
borne to the bosom of his family, whose feelings we can 
not attempt to describe, where he expired about half-past 
six, P M., surrounded by his affectionate and deeply- 
afflicted family and many sympathizing friends. 
40 



SKETCHES OF 



u That once beautiful and manly form, upon which we 
were wont to look, now lies in ruins in the charnel-house. 
But that is not brother Baper — it is only the earthly 
tabernacle in which he recently sojourned among men. 
Brother Raper is in heaven, free from all the shackles of 
mortality. He mingles with the glorified spirits of just 
men made perfect, enjoying the light and the smiles of 
the reconciled and pleased countenance of Him. who loved 
him and gave himself for him. 

"Let us not confine our thoughts of him to the cold 
and silent tomb, but let us contemplate him in heaven, in 
a world of peace and joy above, while his flesh rests in 
the promise of a glorious resurrection. 1 Peace to his 
ashes !' May we imitate his virtues, and finally share his 
triumphs in Christ through eternity V 

He has gone from our midst, after being with us, as a 
preacher, for thirty-three years, and we shall no more 
hear his voice in our councils, nor be encouraged by his 
smiles. We recollect distinctly the last conference which 
he attended, and deeply impressed upon our mind is the 
last speech he made to his brethren. He had been af- 
flicted for some time, and his disease was of such a nature 
as to render him liable, at any moment, to be called away. 
He addressed his brethren in a few words, in which he 
took occasion to allude to his sufferings; and, after re- 
ferring to the many happy seasons spent with his breth- 
ren in the ministry, he told them he waited the will of 
his Master; and if, before another conference, he should 
be called away, he said, with uplifted eyes and tremulous 
tongue, "Look up on high and believe I am there." 

At another time, and still more recently, when it was 
customary for him to tell his family that they need not 
be disappointed or alarmed, if he should die before 
morning, he said to a brother, "I feel like one at a 
way-station, on the platform, with my trunk packed. 



WESTERN" METHODISM. 



475 



waiting for the cars.' 7 The chariot of the Lord at length 
came, and brother Win. H. Raper ascended to mansions 
on high. 

On a lovely spot, in the Wesleyan Cemetery, the hand 
of affection has reared a beautiful white marble obelisk, 
as a sacred memento, to tell the passer-by where sleeps 
the sainted dust of one of Ohio's best and bravest sons. 



476 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

JOHN ULIN. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Virginia, in the 
year 1792, and brought up to manhood in the wilds of 
Greenup county, Kentucky. Growing up, as he did, amid 
the scenes of border warfare, which, in his early life, pre- 
vailed between the whites and Indians, it might be ex- 
pected that young Ulin would form a character corre- 
sponding to the times in which he lived, and the scenes 
by which he was surrounded. His father was a daring 
and adventurous backwoods hunter. A spot is pointed 
out to the traveler, as he passes along the banks of the 
Ohio, or floats over the surface of that majestic river, 
where a high, craggy rock rises up almost perpendicu- 
larly from the bank, on the Virginia side, called " Ulin's 
leap." It is a wild, romantic spot, even to this day. 
The summit of the rock is covered with scraggy trees and 
evergreens, and is wild and unbroken as nature made it. 
In olden time, the father of John, when hotly pursued by 
the Indians, with whom he was not able to compete, 
leaped over this frightful precipice into the depths be- 
low, and escaped unhurt from the savage foe. It was a 
deed of desperate daring, but it was better for him to 
make the fearful leap, than to fall into the hands of the 
merciless savages, whose revenge he had aroused. 

Young Ulin shared the fortunes of his father, and en- 
tered, in early life, upon the stirring field of adventure. 
He became an expert hunter. The woods were his home, 
and in its deep solitudes he wandered in search of game. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



477 



There was a native buoyancy, if not wildness, in his com- 
position, united, however, with great amiability, and a 
full flow of sociality, that made his society desirable 
among both old and young; and hence, in all backwoods 
sports and pastimes, in all scenes of mirth and gayety, or 
reckless daring, he occupied a place in the front rank of 
his associates. 

But he was destined by Providence for another sphere. 
That brilliant mind and brave young heart was to be oc- 
cupied in different pursuits from those which then ab- 
sorbed them. A great observer of human destiny had 
said : 

" There is a Divinity that shapes our ends, 
Rough hew them as we will." 

A book, however, older than that of the dramatic poet, 
and one from which he had drawn, uncredited, so largely, 
had uttered the sentiment in countless forms of expres- 
sion long before; and we need only go to that old book of 
life to learn, that "it is not in man that walketh to direct 
his steps/' and that " our ways are from the Lord." 

We have already spoken of a pioneer preacher who 
had penetrated these wilds. On a certain occasion, 
gloomy and melancholy as the dark denies and solitudes 
around him, he might have been seen urging his steed 
through the forest, in search of a new appointment in 
that wild region. At length he arrives, and surrounded 
by the old and young from far and near, he opens his 
message. One dark eye in that assembly scans the 
preacher, though the mind is intently fixed upon the 
sermon. Preaching gave the itinerant relief, as it af- 
forded him an opportunity to unburden his heart in the 
description of another's. The shade passed from his 
countenance, the dark, lustrous eye was kindled with 
light and softened by tears, and the simple, truthful, 
loving eloquence which fell from his tongue found way 



478 



SKETCHES OF 



to every heart. Young Ulin, for it was him among the 
rest of that backwoods assembly that we have alluded to, 
never was so strangely and powerfully touched before. 
He saw and felt, in the light of the Gospel of a free sal- 
vation, for the first time that he was a sinner, and that 
he must be converted or lost. He was among the first at 
the rude altar for prayer, as a seeker of salvation, and 
after an earnest struggle, with strong crying and tears, 
he found the pearl of great price, and was made happy in 
the love of God. His conversion was clear and powerful, 
and of such a nature as forever to shut up all avenues to 
doubt in regard to it. A glorious change had come over 
him, and he now withdrew from the sports of the wild- 
wood, and directed his attention to the more staid and 
sober pursuits of life. Not long after his conversion, he 
felt moved by the Holy Spirit to engage in the work of 
calling sinners to repentance, and such were the gifts, 
grace, and usefulness that characterized his labors, that 
he was duly licensed to preach as a local preacher. He 
did not, however, continue long in this vocation. His 
ardent spirit longed for a wider field of usefulness, and he 
sighed to be given up exclusively to the work of saving 
souls. Though he had a family, and, in consequence of 
the great difficulty in that day of getting a support, few, 
if any, preachers with families were admitted into con- 
ference, yet, because of his extraordinary talents and 
burning zeal, he was admitted into the itinerant ranks at 
Hillsboro, October 4, 1826. 

His first appointment was to Burlington circuit, on 
which he was continued one year, and where he labored 
with great success as a herald of the cross to perishing 
thousands. His next appointment was Charleston, Vir- 
ginia, embracing a wild but beautiful country on the 
Kanawha and Elk rivers. Here he blew the soft and 
silvery tones of the Gospel trumpet, which waked the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



479 



echoes of the mountains and vales of that picturesque 
land, and many were the hearts that were touched and 
melted at the sound. Reader, have you ever heard 
the Alpine horn, gliding in smooth cadences over the 
waters, floating through the vales, and echoing back in 
softer tones from the mountains, plaintive as the coo of a 
dove, and sweet as the lute of an angel ? If you have, it 
will give you some conception of the clear, soft, far- 
reaching voice of John Ulin. We have heard the grand, 
sublime roar of the lion-like Bascom, as with the majestic 
sweep of a hurricane it leveled the forests of men at im- 
mense camp meetings, and we have heard the soft and 
eloquently-beautiful strains of the lamb-like Summerfield, 
as it won and melted all hearts in the crowded churches 
of our great cities ; but we never heard a voice which, for 
sweetness, compass, and power, excelled that of John 
Ulin. He was emphatically a child of Nature, and grew 
up amid the sublime and beautiful scenes which God 
himself had formed, and the clumsy hand of man had not 
marred, and he gathered his inspiration from these scenes, 
together with the deep communings of his own heart 
with God. 

From Virginia he was sent to Gallipolis, including that 
town and the country lying upon the waters of Raccoon, 
Chickamauga, Kiger, and Shade rivers. This was a large 
circuit, and it was laborious to travel, but the faithful 
herald sounded the clear notes of the Gospel in all its 
length and breadth. Methodism had made but little 
progress in Gallipolis. It was settled by the French, as 
its name imports, and they were mostly Roman Catholics, 
having brought their priest with them from Paris. From 
some cause or other, many years ago they were, we are 
informed, excommunicated en masse, and since then they 
have not felt disposed to unite with any Protestant de~ 
nomination, though some of the descendants of the old 



480 



SKETCHES OF 



settlers have laid aside their prejudices and become con- 
nected with different denominations. After laboring in 
this field for one year, Ulin was sent to Salt Creek circuit, 
embracing the towns of Piketon and Waverly and the 
surrounding country. Some parts of this circuit were 
settled by old Methodists from Virginia; and one neigh- 
bovhood particularly, a few miles below Piketon, called 
now the Barnes neighborhood, was settled by an old 
brother Boydston and his family, who were stanch 
Methodists of the old school. Here brother Ulin found 
a welcome home, and was instrumental in the awakening 
and conversion of some of the children of the ancient 
families residing there. There was another settlement 
on the Big Bottom, called Foster's, which was a strong- 
hold of Methodism, and there, also, our brother was made 
a blessing to the Church. Piketon was a wicked place, 
and there were but a few Methodists there in the days of 
Ulin, though the Church since has grown largely. His 
next and last field of labor was New Richmond, with the 
now sainted Collins. But his work was done. The 
cholera was doing its dreadful work. He and his be- 
loved companion were engaged in ministering to the 
wants of the sick and dying. In the midst of her kind 
ministrations she was seized with the malady, and in a 
few hours death terminated her labors of love. The last 
sad office, of consigning the wife of his youth and the 
mother of his children to the grave, was scarcely per- 
formed ere the fell monster seized him, and there in his 
little hut, surrounded by eight lovely, helpless children, the 
father breathed his last. He had nothing to leave them 
but a father's blessing and a father's prayers. He gave 
up all for Christ, and when he died he gave his children 
to the Savior. After bidding them, one by one, an af- 
fectionate adieu, he told them to live for G-od, and meet 
their father and mother in heaven. In the midst of the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



481 



tears and heart-breaking sobs of those children, he 
shouted victory over death, and went to join the sainted 
above. We were on another part of the district when 
the event occurred, but we hastened with rapid pace to 
look after the dear children. Before we arrived, how- 
ever, father Collins and the stewards had them all pro 
vided with good homes, where they were brought up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord, and some of them, 
we know, this day are following in the footsteps of their 
parents to heaven. 

Inscrutable as are the ways of Providence, we know 
that "He doeth all things well." And though unbelief 
mijrht ask in such a time of trial, " where now is thy 
God?" yet the Providence which took the parents to 
heaven provided bountifully for the children, and he 
who is the Father of the fatherless will always " temper 
the wind to the shorn lamb." 

41 



482 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

WILLIAM PHILLIPS. 

The subject of this narrative was born in Jessamine 
county, Kentucky, on the 7th of May, 1797. His parents 
were pious, and, as might be expected, William was 
brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
We believe there are no children whose early training 
has been religious, but become, at a very early period in 
life, the subjects of the Spirit's awakening influences. 
u The promise is to us and to our children/' and if we 
devote them to God, and labor to bring them up in his 
nurture and admonition, we may conclude, with certainty, 
that the germs of truth planted in their young hearts, 
and baptized by our prayers and tears, will receive the 
additional watering of the Holy Spirit, without whose 
genial and attractive influences all human agencies must 
prove unavailing. Thus educated, young Phillips soon 
became impressed with the importance and necessity of 
religion, and often was induced to turn his attention to 
the subject. After laboring hard all day — for the youth 
of that period were not brought up in idleness, whatever 
else might be said about them — he would spend the even- 
ing in writing prose and poetry, for both of which species 
of composition his mind took an early turn, and he 
seemed to take great delight in the exercise. Many of 
these lucubrations have been kindly submitted to our 
examination by his son, Mr. J. M. Phillips, chief clerk 
of the Book Concern. Some of his poetic effusions are 
highly creditable. Among his papers is a melodramatic 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



483 



performance, entitled, u The Hypocrisy Unmasked," the 
prologue to which is written in poetry, and which, for 
point and poetic merit, we think could not be excelled 
by any poetic wit of the present day. 

It was customary for the farmers in the section of the 
country where young Phillips lived to raise their hogs in 
the woods ; and there being an abundance of mast, they 
would grow fat without any other feeding. When the 
time for killing came, each farmer would sally forth and 
collect his hogs, which he was enabled to do from the fact 
that each owner had a private ear-mark, by which he 
could identify his stock, and distinguish it from those of 
his neighbors. It happened that there lived a family in 
the neighborhood, who, lacking that honesty which should 
have characterized all in those early times of privation 
and toil, did not scruple to appropriate their neighbors' 
hogs to their own use, without fear of discovery, as 
they cut off the ears of the hogs, thus obliterating all 
marks of ownership. Many efforts were made to detect 
them in their nefarious business ; but as they carried on 
their depredations so secretly, usually taking the night 
season for their work of pillage, they eluded detection. 
The whole neighborhood seemed to be satisfied that they 
were guilty; but as it could not be proven, they con- 
tinued to carry on their thieving with impunity. Young 
Phillips was aware of the state of things, and set himself 
to work to write a short poem descriptive of hog-stealing, 
and containing such an unmistakable description of the 
thieves, that all who read it would understand the appli- 
cation as certainly as though he had named the persons 
themselves. He knew the force of public opinion, if 
it could only be brought to bear upon the guilty ; and, 
accordingly, keeping the matter a profound secret from 
every body, he waited till some public occasion would call 
out the neighborhood. It was not long till such an occa 



484: 



SKETCHES OF 



sion presented itself. Taking his poem with him, which 
he had written in a disguised hand, and which none but 
himself could read, he went to the public gathering. 
While mingling with the crowd he purposely dropped it, 
knowing it would be picked up by some one. It was not 
long till it was rumored that a curious writing was found, 
and the ingenuity and learning of all was taxed to deci 
pher its contents. Finally it was brought to Phillips, 
who, taking it, and looking at it for some time, said he 
thought he could make it out by hard spelling. When 
he had examined it sufficiently long, occasionally calling 
a knowing one to help him out with a hard word, he 
mounted a stump and began. At first he stammered 
considerably, which only increased the interest, making 
certain points more emphatic. As he progressed every 
eye was turned to the hog-stealers, whose persons and 
conduct were described to the life ; and before he had fin- 
ished they skulked away from the crowd, unable any 
longer to withstand the battery of eyes that was opened 
upon them, and the shouts and peals of laughter which 
rent the air. Suffice it to say, the hog- thieves left the 
neighborhood, and no complaint was ever after heard of 
such depredations. 

But the most satirical thing in the English language 
we ever read, is his poem entitled, " Alexander the Great; 
or, The Learned Camel." Many of our readers have, 
doubtless, seen this production, as it was once published 
and somewhat extensively circulated. It was designed 
as an expose of Campbellism, or the "Christians," as 
they are denominated; but more familiarly known as the 
Reformers, or Campbellite Baptists — a denomination 
quite numerous in Kentucky. It flashes throughout 
with the most keen and cutting satire, and gives evi- 
dence of high poetic talent, as well as a thorough knowl 
edge of the system which it exposes. 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



485 



"We will give a few stanzas of the poem, which will 
enable the reader to form some judgment of its charac- 
ter. We would refer to the poem itself, but it has long 
been out of print. It begins thus : 

"In times of old, as books relate, 
Lived Alexander — called the Great; 
"Who conquered Greece, and Persia, too, 
And did the universe subdue ; 
Made kings his slaves, and every nation 
Filled with blood and desolation. 
But Alexander, mounted on 
Bucephalus, and clothed upon 
With all the panoply of war, 
Was more diminutive, by far, 
Compared to modern Alexander, 
Than is a goslin to a gander ; 
For, reader, know we have of late 
A second Alexander great — 
A man of more deserved renown 
Than he who tumbled cities down: 
More great, more bold, and learned, too, 
Than e'er was Christian, Turk, or Jew ; 
And should you doubt his fame or glory, 
Pray give attention to my story." 

After this introduction there follows, in the same vein 
of cutting satire, a description of the tenets of the Rev. 
Alexander Campbell, in three hundred lines. At the 
close is an oration, supposed to have been delivered by 
Mr. Campbell, of which we give the first two stanzas, as 
follows : 

" Ho, every mother's son and daughter! 
Here's the Gospel in the water ; 
Here's the ancient Gospel way ; 
Here's the road to endless day; 
To the kingdom of the Savior, 
You must enter in the river. 
Every mother's son and daughter, 
Here's the Gospel in the water. 

All ye sons of Adam's race, 
Come and share this wat'ry grace I 



4:86 



SKETCHES OF 



Water is the healing lotion, 

Vast as the Atlantic Ocean ; 

Water purifies the nation, 

W ater is regeneration : 

Every mother's son and daughter, 

Here's the Gospel in the water." 

So much for the poetry of brother Phillips. His prose 
compositions we shall have occasion to refer to hereafter, 
and shall, therefore, resume our sketch. 

When he arrived at mature age he entered the bois- 
terous, stormy sea of political life. Leaving the quiet 
and beautiful vale of the muses, and the sacred walks of 
song, and embarking upon the stormy wave of popular 
excitement, he was well nigh being shipwrecked, at least 
so far as religious impressions and tendencies were con- 
cerned. To cut loose, if possible, from all religious 
thoughts and restraints — for his early religious training 
had a wonderful hold upon his conscience — he resorted 
to the reading of infidel books, and pursued their study 
till clouds and darkness, and doubt and uncertainty, gath- 
ered around his mind, shutting out the beautiful visions 
of his earlier days. His early training, however, in 
habits of virtue, proved a barrier too strong for the en- 
croachments of infidelity; and though he had learned 
to doubt, he nevertheless retained a high regard for mo- 
rality, and could not obliterate from his mind the truth of 
Christianity. He continued in this skeptical state, hov- 
ering, as it were, over the dark confines of infidelity, till 
he was settled in life, and had the charge of a rising 
family. The following account of his conviction for sin 
and his awakening to a sense of his lost condition, in 
which the blank and cheerless nature of infidelity was 
strongly contrasted with the satisfying portion religion 
imparts, was given by him, in a love-feast, soon after his 
conversion : 

"One morning," said he, "I returned home in a mel« 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



487 



ancholy state of feeling, after having spent the night 
from horne, engaged in some political feats. I took my 
seat in a room by myself. Very soon my eldest son, 

about eight years old, came to me, and said, ' B . 

has experienced religion f and then inquired, ' What is 
religion ?' Here conviction seized my mind, for I could 
not answer the questions of the child. I said, Is it pos- 
sible that I, who was blessed with a religious education, 
have raised a child to this age, who inquires of me what 
religion is, and I can not tell him ! I then resolved to 
reform my life, and examine the evidences of Chris- 
tianity." 

He did not delay this great work, but set about it with 
diligence. He was soon convinced of the divine reality 
of religion, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
as a seeker. He earnestly sought the Lord with bitter 
sighs and tears ; but his mourning was soon turned into 
joy. Five days after he joined the Church he received 
the evidence of his acceptance, at Old Fort meeting-house, 
in Montgomery county, Kentucky. It was manifest to ail 
that he was the subject of a great change. He shortly 
after felt intensely the worth of souls, and believed that 
he was moved by the Holy Ghost to preach the G-ospel, 
of which he afterward gave ample testimony. On the 
27th of December, 1828, he was licensed to preach as a 
local preacher by the quarterly meeting conference of 
Mount Sterling circuit. In this capacity he labored with 
Euccess, till he found that his field of labor was too circum- 
scribed. He was duly recommended and received into 
the Kentucky conference, in the fall of 1831, at its ses- 
sion at Louisville, after he had labored as a local preacher 
for nearly three years. He was appointed successively to 
Winchester and Lexington circuits, and Newport and 
Covington station j having been reappointed to the last 
two places so as to serve each two years in succession, 



438 



SKETCHES OF 



except the time that elapsed between his appointment by 
the General conference and the termination of his con- 
ference year, which was still shortened by his unexpected 
death. He received deacon's and elder's orders at the 
regular periods in which these offices are usually con- 
ferred. 

In the mean time he was appointed by the Book Com 
mittee assistant editor of the Western Christian Advo- 
cate; and after serving in this capacity one year, he was 
elected to that post by the General conference of 1836. 
Possessing talents of a high order as a writer, he contrib- 
uted largely of the products of his pen to the columns of 
the Advocate. Among other of his numerous produc- 
tions was a serial, entitled, "Campbellism Exposed; or, 
Strictures on the Peculiar Tenets of Alexander Camp- 
bell. " This serial began with the January number of 
1835, and closed in April, 1836, but a few months before 
his death. The articles, as they appeared in the Advo- 
cate, received a wide favor all over the country, and were 
read with interest and profit by thousands. The Ohio 
conference, which met about one month subsequent to 
his decease, passed a unanimous resolution, requesting 
the Agents to publish the Strictures in a book form, 
which was in due time accomplished, and the work placed 
upon the General Catalogue. This little volume has had 
an extensive sale ; and we know of no work better calcu- 
lated to expose the errors of the Campbellites than the 
Strictures. To those who have not read it, we take the 
liberty of calling attention to the able manner in which 
the subject is discussed. In the first chapter the author 
gives a clear statement of the Campbellite doctrine of 
baptism, and introduces the texts upon which the Camp- 
bellites rely in support of their doctrine. The clear and 
critical exegesis of the author on those texts shows that 
they are wrested from their obvious import by the advo- 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



489 



cates of Campbellism, and neither really nor apparently 
sustain their views. The next chapter discusses the true 
condition of regeneration as represented in the Bible, 
and as contradistinguished from water regeneration. 
Chapter third is devoted to an examination of the agency 
employed in the work of regeneration. The succeeding 
chapter examines the mode of baptism, and discusses the 
true import of the term baptizo, furnishing clear and 
cogent reasons for baptism by sprinkling, and against 
baptism by immersion. The fifth chapter is confined to 
the subject of Creeds, while the remaining chapters, in 
a most masterly manner, discuss the subject of Sects, 
Sectarianism, and the Call to the Ministry, concluding 
with a recapitulation containing a summary of what had 
been advanced in the foregoing pages. 

From the way in which Mr. Campbell ranted and raved 
against the Methodists, about the time the Strictures 
appeared, and for a long time afterward, we are led to 
conclude that they told powerfully upon the strongholds 
of the system; for men generally lose their temper when 
they fail in argument. Among the papers of brother 
Phillips are many valuable manuscript sermons. The 
most interesting portion of his manuscripts were, how- 
ever, unfortunately lost. 

Elevated by his talents to the permanent post of as- 
sistant editor, a long and brilliant career of usefulness 
was before him. Associated with Dr. Elliott, whose 
extensive and varied learning eminently qualified him 
for the post of principal editor of the paper and books 
of the Church, he was, from his talents as a polemic 
and his acquaintance with polite and general literature, 
a most desirable acquisition; but, alas! how uncertain 
were all earthly hopes and prospects; for in the brief 
space of only three weeks and two days after his appoint- 
ment, he was called away from the scenes of his toil on 



490 



SKETCHES OF 



earth to the rest and blessedness of heaven. Short "but 
brilliant was his career. 

The ensuing annual conference filled the vacancy oc- 
casioned by his death, in the editorial department, with 
the gifted and eloquent Hainline, who, with Dr. Elliott, 
furnished the following brief memoir of the last hours, 
together with a tribute of respect to the memory of their 
fellow-laborer : 

" On the 22d of June, 1836, he was confined to his 
bed by a violent attack of fever. For several days pre- 
vious to this he felt manifest indications of an approach- 
ing assault of severe sickness. During his confinement 
of six weeks and two days, he suffered much pain of 
body, which was borne with great patience. When the 
fever was high he was affected with delirium ; but when 
the fever abated he was in the full exercise of his mental 
faculties. Shortly after he was taken ill he gave instruc- 
tions to his afilicted wife, respecting her concerns and 
future residence, intimating to her that the present dis- 
ease would prove fatal. He also called his children to 
his bedside, and solemnly and without tears, yet deeply 
affected, gave them the charge and instructions of a par- 
ent on the verge of eternity. In his moments of self- 
possession, both when asked and unsolicited, he expressed 
himself strongly, yet very humbly, respecting his confi- 
dence in God and the enjoyments of religion, which he 
evidently possessed in a high degree. At one time, 
when it was thought he was dying, he was asked, ' If all 
was well?' he calmly replied, 'I feel for me to live is 
Christ, and to die is gain/ He then spoke of the good- 
ness and mercy that had followed him all the days of his 
life. At another time, when he complained of a pain 
in his breast, it was said to him, 1 When we get to heaven 
we shall then be done suffering. Pain and affliction will 
be over, and God shall wipe tears from every eye. Do 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



491 



you expect to get there ?' He replied, 1 Yes ; my soul 
sometimes exults at the prospect/ and, with a faltering 
voice, he added, 'Yes, glory to God!' At another time 
he said to a friend, ' My mind is entirely at peace. It is 
doubtful whether I shall recover from this sickness ; but 
to me death has no terror, the grave no gloom. If it 
were the Lord's will I would like to live, that I might 
make some better provision for the temporal and spiritual 
welfare of my family. But why do I talk thus? The 
Lord is sufficient. I now wish to leave this with you as 
my testimony, that my hope is in Christ, through whose 
blood I shall conquer. I now feel none but Jesus can 
do suffering sinners good/ Again he said, 'In retro- 
specting the past, contemplating the present, or looking 
forward to the future, I have nothing to fear/ There is 
no doubt in the minds of any of his friends concerning 
his triumphant entrance into the paradise of God. He 
departed this life on the night of the 4th of August, 
1836, at half past twelve, in the city of Cincinnati. His 
remains were carried to Wesley Chapel, on Saturday, the 
6th, at 10 o'clock, A. M., where an impressive sermon 
was delivered by the Rev. J. F. Wright, from Psalm 
xlvi, 10: 'Be still and know that I am God.' His body 
is deposited in the Methodist burying-ground till the res- 
urrection of the just. In his death the editorial corps 
has lost a valuable member, and the Church has been 
deprived of the services of one of her most faithful and 
efficient sons. 

"As a Christian, he is to be ranked among the excel- 
lent. Entire reliance on the mercy of God, and the 
vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ, was the strongest 
and most prominent exercise of his mind during his 
affliction; and, indeed, this was the settled disposition of 
his very soul from the time he first embraced religion; 
but which increased as he grew in grace, so as to form an 



on the 



492 SKETCHES OF 

abiding, firm exercise of his mind. His reliance 
Redeemer was such, that 

♦His blood and righteousness 
He made his only plea.' 

"The expression, Lord, have mercy, which he repeated 
much during his sickness, indicated to those who heard 
him, that reliance on Jesus Christ was, with him, perma- 
nent and unwavering. In 'patience he possessed his soul 
to such a degree that the severest pains could not wrest 
a murmur from his lips. 

" His ministerial gifts and qualifications were considered 
to be of the most useful kind. The following extract 
of a letter from an aged and experienced member of the 
Church, will place the ministerial character of brother 
Phillips in a very amiable light : 

While we would cast in our mite in honor of his 
Christian character, and for the encouragement of others 
to follow his example, we being intimately acquainted 
with him for the two years he traveled Lexington circuit, 
Kentucky, our house being almost his constant home 
once in four weeks, as he traveled round his circuit, we, 
who have been acquainted with Methodist preachers for 
near fifty years, and some of us strict observers of men 
and things for more than forty years, are more than will- 
ing to give in our testimony to the Christian and evan- 
gelical or apostolical character of brother Phillips. And 
first, a more pious, studious, grave, cheerful, humble, lov- 
ing, laborious, and effective preacher we have never known. 
In a word, he seemed all goodness, not only for a short 
time — as too many often are — but all the time alike good. 
In the pulpit, whether the congregations were large or 
small, he was like a lamp to light up their intellects — 
his doctrines so pure and evangelical, his reasoning so 
profound, his language so appropriate, that all acknowl- 
edged him much of a master workman. In company he 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



493 



was very social and friendly; in our family lie was always 
instructive; unto the aged he was reverential; with the 
young he was familiar, and acted much of the philoso- 
pher; while all his language and deportment seemed 
seasoned with grace and warm affection. We recognize 
him this moment, fresh in our memories. His almost 
constant practice in the winter nights was to instruct our 
daughters and sons in the rudiments of singing, as also 
in the way of salvation, with several other branches of 
useful instruction. He often put us in mind of the old 
Methodist preacher that some of us knew nearly fifty 
years ago in old Virginia, that used to preach at my 
grandfather's. We were acquainted, also, with the cir- 
cuit preachers that preached at my father's for several 
years in Kentucky, where the preachers made their home. 
Among those preachers were but few Phillipses to be 
found. For twenty years or more we have not known a 
more excellent and profitable man than brother William 
Phillips. But he is gone to glory. Is it possible that we 
are to hear from him no more this side of heaven ?' 

" To this unadorned and simple testimony other ac- 
counts precisely correspond. 

" His attainments as a writer place him deservedly, if 
not among the foremost writers, at least in that respecta- 
ble class which would raise him several degrees above 
mediocrity. But as he was called away at the early age 
of thirty-nine, and, therefore, before he had opportunity 
to come fairly before the public, it would be difficult to 
present him in his real character before the world. His 
writings in the Western Christian Advocate, over his 
proper signature, have evident marks of accurate research, 
sound judgment, and respectable attainments. Had he 
turned his attention to writing at an earlier period of his 
life, or had he been spared longer, he would probably have 
held a prominent place among the writers of this age. 



494: 



SKETCHES OF 



"Brother Phillips was little above the ordinary hight, 
and rather spare. Kis personal appearance was not only 
agreeable, but might be considered dignified. His man- 
ners were courteous and pleasing, manifesting a disposi- 
tion to be friendly to all j so that even the stranger was 
often prepossessed in his favor; but he was respected 
most by those who knew him best. He was truly a son 
of peace; and though he considered it his duty to con- 
tend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, 
he delighted not in controversy. Yet into this he was 
willing to enter sooner than yield up any portion of 
truth.'' 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



495 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE INTREPID MISSIONARY. 

The Methodist Church has furnished missionaries, who 
for zeal and courage, in planting the standard of the 
cross on the battlements of heathendom, have not been 
excelled by any other denomination. Of this number 
was our young brother, Daniel Poe, a short sketch of 
whose life and labors we propose to give. He was born 
in Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 12th day of October, 
1809, and was born again at a camp meeting, on Wayne 
circuit, five miles south of Wooster, Ohio, in August, 
1825, in the sixteenth year of his age. He united with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the house of Judge 
William Henry, near where the town of Massillon now 
stands, under the ministry of Rev. A. G-off. Though but 
a boy, he was remarkable for his exemplary piety, and 
was soon appointed a class-leader and licensed to exhort. 
In April, 1830, feeling a divine call to the ministry, and 
desiring to prepare himself by a better education, he went 
to Worthington, Ohio, and attended an academy through 
the summer. In the same autumn he went to Augusta 
College, Kentucky. During vacation, in 1832, he visited 
his brother, the Rev. Adam Poe, who was then residing 
in West Chester, and traveling Miami circuit. It was 
while he was there that we first formed an acquaintance 
with him, having attended with his brother the camp 
meeting which was held just before the session of the 
Ohio conference at Dayton. By our advice he was 
Hcensed to preach and recommended to travel. He was, 



496 



SKETCHES OF 



accordingly, admitted on trial in the Ohio conference, 
and appointed to travel Letart Falls circuit, with the late 
Rev. A B. Stroud as his colleague, and Rev. L C. Hun- 
ter presiding elder. There he labored successfully and 
acceptably. The next year he was appointed to Eaton 
circuit, with Rev. W. Sutton, and we were his presiding 
elder, having succeeded Bishop Morris, who commenced 
his duties as editor of the Western Christian Advocate. 
The next year he was appointed to Hamilton circuit, with 
Rev. J. Hill, and in 1835 to Oxford circuit, with Rev. 
B. Westlake. In May, 1836, he was sent by Bishop 
Soule to the Oneida and Menominee mission, west of 
Green Bay, then under the supervision of Rev. John 
Clark, now of the Rock River conference. Here his 
labors were very arduous and responsible. He com- 
menced a school among the Oneida Indians west, and ex- 
tended his visits to Brothertown, and other fragments of 
tribes, scattered through the Wisconsin territory. On 
one occasion, in the month of February, 1837, after visit- 
ing an encampment of Indian hunters, between Green 
Bay and Lake Winnebago, he wished to go to Brothertown 
to meet an appointment; and as he made all these jour- 
neys in the wilderness on foot, finding that he could save 
some thirty miles in the distance by crossing the lake on 
the ice, he proposed to do so. An old Indian of the 
company, at his request, took him in a bark canoe on to 
the ice, which was at that point parted from the shore 
some thirty rods. After they reached the ice, the Indian 
drawing up his canoe, ran some distance forward, and 
stooping down placed his ear near the ice, then rising, 
he said, 

"You can't cross, you must go back." 
Daniel, however, replied, "I have an appointment, and 
I. must go." 

"Then/' said the Indian, "you drown." 



WESTERN METHODISM. 497 

He, however, persisted in going forward. The Indian 
then bade him farewell with tears, saying, u I never see 
you more." As Daniel could see across the lake, he felt 
confident that he could run over safely, and started on a 
rapid trot. After passing quietly about five miles, he 
heard suddenly a report as of a cannon, and looking for- 
ward, saw the ice breaking and rolling up in waves to- 
ward him. Seeing his imminent danger, he ran with all 
his might in an opposite direction, to escape the opening 
made by the swell. Getting round it, he struck his course 
anew for the same point on the opposite shore at which 
he had before been aiming; but soon again he heard in 
advance a similar alarming report, and saw the ice again 
thrown up by the rolling waves. Again he was forced to 
run for life. In a word, this terrible race continued 
through the day. Still the resolute missionary kept his 
eye fixed on the distant shore, and ran forward as soon 
as he could avoid one opening, only to meet another, 
eating as he ran, when he became hungry, some parched 
corn, with which he had filled the capacious pockets of 
his coat. Just as night was closing upon him, he reached 
a place on the ice within some twenty or thirty rods of 
the shore, and springing into the water and swimming for 
the nearest point of land he reached it, but was so ex- 
hausted as to be unable to stand. He laid down upon 
the beach, a bluff of some forty or fifty feet being above 
him, which it was impossible for him to ascend. Here 
he thought his toils must end, and he gave himself up to 
die. After commending himself to God, he thought of 
the home and friends he should see no more ; he thought 
how those dear to him would mourn him as lost, and 
never probably learn how he had died. At this the love 
of life sprung up in his heart as he had never felt it be- 
fore, and with a powerful effort he rose upon his knees. 
Crawling along the beach some distance, he came to a 
42 



498 



SKETCHES OF 



small ravine, where the melting snow was running down 
into the lake. Up this he clambered on his hands and 
knees, taking hold of bushes and roots to help himself 
along, till he reached the top of the bank. Here he 
shouted glory ! till the woods rang. The moon was shin- 
ing beautifully, lighting up the snow-covered forest with 
its brightness, and, hence, there was sufficient light for 
him to find his way. He perceived that he had landed 
very near the point at which he had been aiming, and 
getting into an Indian trail, after resting awhile on his 
snowy bed, he started forward courageously toward his 
appointment, at Brothertown. After walking some dis- 
tance along the path, he saw an owl light on a bush just- 
before him. Being exceedingly hungry, and having a 
loaded pistol in his pocket, he thought he would shoot it 
and eat it raw. He approached near, with his pistol in 
his hand, and aiming it so as to make sure of his prey, he 
pulled the trigger; but, alas ! his pistol only snapped. 
He then remembered he had been swimming with it in 
his pocket, and "I think/' said he, "I never felt a dis- 
appointment more severely than to see that owl fly slowly 
away, leaving my hunger unsatisfied/' After walking 
about five miles, he came to an Indian camp near the 
trail. He entered and found four or five Indians, who 
had been encamped there some time hunting. They were 
all fast asleep. At their fire he saw a pot, and without 
waking up the proprietors, to ask their leave, he helped 
himself heartily to its contents, which consisted of boiled 
venison and corn. Then lying down before the fire with 
a thankful heart, he fell asleep and rested sweetly till 
nearly ten o'clock the next morning, when finding his 
hosts all up and gone to their hunting, he again helped 
himself to the corn and venison, and pursued his journey 
to Brothertown, where he preached to nearly all the in- 
habitants who professed to be Christians. These Indians 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



499 



had lost their Indian dialect, and were speaking only the 
English language. Their religion, however, appeared to 
be a mixture of Christian tradition and pagan supersti- 
tion. They had an old woman as successor to their last 
missionary, who, it seemed, had been a Freewill Baptist, 
and they regarded her with great confidence as a prophet- 
ess. After he had preached to them, she said she was 
taught by the Spirit, that he had told them God's truth. 
He staid several days preaching to them and visiting 
from house to house. About twenty professed conversion, 
and he formed them into a class. To this, however, the 
prophetess was much opposed, and told them the preacher 
was a false teacher, and they must not join his Church. 
To this one of them replied, " When he first preached to 
us, you said the Spirit taught you that he told us God's 
truth. Now you say, without the Spirit, that he is a 
false teacher/ 7 The old woman was confounded. The 
class met and encouraged each other in the service of 
the Lord. 

Daniel continued to visit them monthly, and was much 
aided by a young lady, Miss Jane West Ingram, who, 
having heard of their settlement and condition some 
months before, left her father's house at Pontiac, Michi- 
gan, and procuring school books at Detroit, took passage 
on a steamboat to Green Bay. There she hired an In- 
dian guide and pony, and putting her books in a bag on 
the pony, she started with her guide, riding the pony 
herself, while the Indian ran before. When she reached 
them, she told them that she had come to teach them, 
and had brought them books. She induced them to build 
a cabin school-house, and gathered all the children she 
could into it. There, among those Indians, without any 
white person near to sympathize with, or advise her, that 
young, devoted female instructed the Indians in letters, 
daily praying with and for them, and visiting the sick and 



500 



SKETCHES OF 



suffering among thein. She affectionately pointed then) 
to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, 
and had seen some of them die happy. It was at her 
request that Daniel visited them and commenced his 
labors among them. At the first interview of these young 
missionaries, they found in each other congenial spirits, 
and mutually formed an attachment for each other, founded 
in Christian love. In the month of June, 1837, they 
were married. Jane then went with Daniel to the Oneida 
mission, and her place in the Brothertown school was 
supplied by brother Clark, the superintendent. At Oneida 
they felt the need of a house of worship. Jane had some 
three hundred dollars, which she had earned by school- 
teaching in Michigan; this she offered as capital to com- 
mence with. Daniel got most of the male members of 
the mission to go with him into the pine woods, on Fox 
river, and cutting saw-logs, they took them to a mill, ten 
miles distant, and prepared lumber for their house. He 
came out to the ensuing sessions of the Michigan and Ohio 
conferences, and obtained some funds, with which he re- 
turned, and soon they had a comfortable meeting-house. 
There has been a flourishing mission ever since at that 
place. Our young brother traveled on horseback through 
an almost solitary wilderness, from Green Bay to Alton, 
Illinois, in the autumn of 1838, to attend the Illinois 
conference. There Bishop Soule transferred him back to 
the Ohio conference. He could not get back to Ohio in 
time to get an appointment that year, but reached his 
father's house, in the neighborhood of Massillon, in De- 
cember. He visited his brother, in Tiffin, who was pre- 
siding elder of that district, in January, 1839 ; and one of 
the preachers in the district having failed, he was em- 
ployed on Mexico circuit, where he labored with zeal and 
usefulness, till the session of his conference, in Septem- 
ber, 1839, when he was appointed to M'Arthurstown 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



501 



circuit. The next two years he was appointed to Tarlton. 
At the session of the Ohio conference, held at Hamilton. 
September, 1842, he, by the advice of Bishop Morris, 
took a transfer, with several others, to the Texas confer- 
ence. He immediately started with his wife and three 
little children, the youngest but a few weeks old, to that 
then Republic of the Lone Star. His letter, published in 
the Western Christian Advocate, of May 19, 18-13, gives 
an account of his journey there and the session of the 
Texas conference held that season at Bastrop. 

During his first }*ear in Texas, seeing the great want of 
schools and teachers throughout the country, after con- 
sultation with Rev. Littleton Fowler, his presiding elder, 
and with his consent and by his advice, he came to Ohio 
and obtained a corps of teachers, with whom he returned 
and commenced a number of schools at most of the 
prominent points in Eastern Texas. During his sojourn 
in Ohio, while he was gathering up his teachers, there 
occurred a great amount of sickness and sulfering at 
Milam, where his family was located. While at the Ohio 
conference, we recollect distinctly the thrilling appeals of 
this intrepid young missionary. When some of his breth- 
ren expressed fears for his safety and that of his wife, 
whom he left in her shanty on the distant plains of Texas, 
coupled with what was a seeming intimation, that their 
courage would scarcely be adequate to breast the dangers 
and hardships of that border land, he replied, that " if 
he thought there was a drop of coward blood in his veins, 
he would let it out with his jack-knife, and as for his 
wife, there could be no fear on her account, as he found 
her among the Brothertown Indians alone, teaching the 
children in the wigwams of the distant west." It was an 
interesting season in the conference, and many of the 
brethren indulged in remarks relative to the missionaries 
of olden time. One brother related an interview he had 



502 



SKETCHES OF 



with the Hon. Thomas Corwin, who said, u Methodist 
preachers were the very men for the times; and while 
they went with their elbows out, and wore blankets in- 
stead of coats, peeling bark with their teeth, and sleep- 
ing in the woods, those who affected to despise them 
could never imitate their courage or rise to their use- 
fulness." 

Daniel, while at the conference, received a letter from 
his devoted wife, giving a thrilling account, among other 
things, of the conversion of an infidel, and, also, a descrip- 
tion of his death. The editor of the Ladies' Repository, 
Rev. L. L. Hamline, requested it for publication , and 
while brother Poe was on his return home on the steamer, 
he wrote out the account of the awakening, conversion, and 
death of this infidel, but from some cause or other it was 
never sent, and consequently never published. It was 
entitled, "The power of the Gospel in Texas," and we 
give it to our readers : 

"I made my residence in the beautiful village of 
Milam, Sabine county, Texas, where there had been re- 
cently formed a small society of Methodists. Here, as 
well as all around the San Augustine circuit, I found the 
Church in a feeble and lukewarm condition, and so it 
continued till the first of May last. We had appointed a 
two days' meeting in Milam, and prayed much and earn- 
estly that a work of divine grace might there commence. 
The time came, and on Saturday the congregation was 
small, and a death-like stupor and coldness seemed to 
pervade almost every heart. 

"There lived, adjoining the village, a Dr. W , who 

was said to be a very wicked man, a Universalist, and a 
great enemy to the Methodist Church. It was said, too. 
that he had a very worthy, pious wife, who desired to at- 
tend meeting and unite with the Church; but it was 
said that the Doctor would not permit her to do so. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



503 



"While meeting was in progress on Saturday, the Doctor 
■was at the tavern across the way, uttering bitter curses 
against the Methodists. 

u The Sabbath came, and the congregation was unusually 
large. I was preaching on the doctrine of rewards and 
punishments, when my eye fell on the Doctor, who was 
seated in the very rear of the congregation. He seemed 
much excited; sometimes his face would redden, and then 
an almost deathly paleness would pass over it. He seemed 
very restless, too, and kept constantly turning on his seat. 
I knew not whether he was enraged or whether conscience 
was doing its office, awakened and enlightened by the 
Holy Spirit. I thought, however, that I would talk fear- 
lessly and plainly, and leave the result with God. I spoke, 
in conclusion, of the fearful account that that man will 
have to render on the day of judgment who keeps his wife 
and children away from the house of God, and bids 
them follow him in the way to hell. An appointment 
was made for the afternoon, and the congregation dis- 
missed. 

11 As I was returning to the afternoon service, I saw the 
Doctor standing at the corner of the court-house, where 
the meeting was held. When I was yet a few rods 
distant, he started out to meet me. I had heard that the 
Doctor possessed considerable personal courage, and that 
he had been through a number of bowie-knife and pistol 
fights. Whether he came in peace or came armed for a 
deadly encounter I knew not, nor was it my business to 
know; my business was to meet him. We met, when he 
gave his trembling hand, and said in accents broken with 
sighs and accompanied with tears, 'Mr. Poe, I wish you 
to open the door of the Church this afternoon for my wife 
to join/ I said, 'Thank you, Doctor, but what are you 
going to do? you are a sinner, and must have religion, or be 
lost eternally.' He answered, ' I feel as I never felt in 



504 



SKETCHES OF 



all my life — is there, can there be mercy for such a 
wretched sinner as I have been V I told them that there 
was mercy, free and full, and exhorted him to look to 
Jesus, as we walked together into the congregation. 
After an excellent sermon was preached by my colleague, 
I stated that I was requested to open the doors of the 
Church, and went on to give an invitation. The Doctor's 
wife immediately came forward, together with a number 
of others. I then invited all who desired to seek their 
soul's salvation, to come to the mourner's bench. The 
Doctor and many others came trembling and weeping, and 
kneeled in prayer. 

" A glorious revival commenced that afternoon. God's 
people were heard shouting for joy, and sinners were 
heard weeping and crying aloud for mercy. The meeting 
lasted some two weeks, during which time many sinners 
were awakened and converted. The Doctor came forward 
at every invitation, and seemed powerfully awakened and 
deeply engaged, and yet he found no relief. I visited 
him often, and talked and prayed with the family. He 
did not attempt to conceal or extenuate, but acknowledged 
that he had been the greatest of sinners — that he had 
long hindered his wife from going to meeting and joining 
the Church — that he had set an awful example before his 
children. Mercy was his only plea. Sometimes he said, 
'I am just entering the kingdom, when my sins rise up 
and shut me out. ; He said he was determined to seek 
on, and if he went to hell he would go a praying penitent. 
I left him in this state of mind about the first of July 
last, well satisfied that if he persevered, his dungeon 
would yet shake, and his chains fall off, and his soul be 
set at liberty. 

" I received a letter from my wife, saying that the Doctor 
was very sick and in great distress of mind — that be had 
sent for her very often to sing and pray for him. 1 have 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



505 



just received another letter from my wife, saying that the 
Doctor is no more. 

" ' I have just returned from the funeral of Doctor 

W . He sent for me both by night and day, to sing 

and pray with him, and about two days before his death 
he found peace and died very happy. Just before he left 
the world, he called me to his bedside and said, Tell 
brother Poe, of all the men I ever saw, I loved him the 
most; I would be glad to have him now about my dying 
bed, but that can not be. Tell him to go on and keep 
preaching Jesus, and I will meet him in heaven/' ' 

"To be made the humble instrument in the hand of 
the blessed Savior, of plucking that brand from eternal 
burnings, more than compensates for all the sacrifices we 
have made, in leaving our native land and friends and 
all. But that is not all ; the revival that commenced at 
that meeting, spread all around the circuit, and hundreds 
ha^e been added to the Church." 

After his return to Texas, he endeavored to commence 
an institution of learning at San Augustine. The ensuing 
conference adopted it and gave it their patronage. Dan- 
iel was appointed to the San Augustine circuit, and com- 
menced his labors, having some three hundred miles to 
travel in filling his appointments every four weeks. After 
the first quarter, the teacher of mathematics, in their new 
college, resigned, and Daniel undertook to supply his 
place. While filling this post, he regularly rode into the 
country and preached on Friday night, twice on Saturday, 
and twice on Sabbath, and returned so as to attend to the 
recitations of his classes in the college, from Monday 
morning to the next Friday afternoon. 

In June, 1844, his wife was attacked with congestive 
fever, but in a few days she seemed to be convalescent, 
and he went to an appointment six miles from San Au- 
gustine the first Saturday in July, to hold a two days' 

43 



506 



SKETCHES OF 



meeting. The congregation met in a grove, and he 
preached to them on Saturday, at 11 o'clock, from Lam. 
iii, 48. Dr. Greir, a member of our Church, told us 
that he wept profusely while he portrayed the desolations 
of sin, and exhorted the sinner to come to Christ for sal- 
vation. When he closed his sermon, he gave out the 
first two lines of a hymn, and stepping down from the 
stand, approaching the Doctor with his hand on his tem- 
ple, he said, ''Doctor, I feel as if my head was bursting/' 
The Doctor perceiving that he had a violent fever, as- 
sisted him to his carriage, and took him to his house, and 
by prompt attention, through the afternoon and night, he 
thought him better next morning, and took him home. 
On Sabbath afternoon his wife was taken worse, and his 
two eldest children were violently attacked with the 
same fever. On Tuesday evening the Doctor told him 
his wife must die. About the same time Rev. L. Fowler, 
having returned from New York, where he had been at- 
tending General conference, brought him a letter from 
his brother, and spoke to him of the probable division of 
the Church. He read his letter, and laying it down ex- 
claimed, " 0, must Methodism be rent in twain I" He 
was unable to see his wife, as they were lying in separate 
rooms, and said to brother Fowler, "Tell Jane to com- 
mend her soul and her children to God. If I live I'll do 
the best I can for them, if I die I want Adam to come 
and get them." He grew rapidly worse, and on Wednes- 
day morning he was told that he too must die. He imme- 
diately commenced giving some direction about his busi- 
ness, requested Rev. Lester Janes to write to his brother, 
and request him to come and settle his business, pay all his 
debts, and bring his children to Ohio. In the midst of 
these efforts, his mind wandered, and he complained of 
excruciating pains in his head and of choking. In this 
condition he remained till morning, when brother Fowler 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



507 



returned and found him dying. He took him by the 
hand and said, " Daniel, you are going !" He answered, 
m a whisper, "Yes!" Brother Fowler asked, "How do 
you feel?" He replied, "Happy, very, very happy I" and 
expired. His wife had conversed, after being informed 
that she must die, with brother Fowler on her spiritual 
prospects, and asked him to pray with her; and while he 
prayed she was powerfully blessed. She then had her 
children brought to her, and commending them to God 
in a few words of prayer, gave them her last kiss, and 
handed them to friends standing around her bed, saying, 
u Take care of them till their uncle Adam comes for 
them." She knew their father was dying too ; and though 
she was one of the most affectionate mothers we ever 
knew, she seemed to give her children to her heavenly 
Father without a single distrustful fear; and then in 
bright and joyous vision of her home so near, she shouted 
glory! till her voice sunk to a whisper; and she breathed 
out her happy spirit into the arms of the Blessed, who 
waited to bear her to heaven. They died within forty 
minutes of each other, and were buried in one coffin, im- 
mediately in rear of the Methodist church in San Au- 
gustine. "Lovely and pleasant were they in their lives, 
and in their death they were not divided." 

In December, 1844, his brother, Rev. Adam Poe, 
reached that place, and found all three of the children at 
different places, well taken care of by good friends, in 
pretty good health, having nearly recovered from their 
attacks of fever. After settling the business, matters, 
according to Daniel's directions, and being ready to start 
home, he took the children, the youngest in his arms, and 
the others walking on each side of him, to the grave of 
the parents, to take a last look. As they stood by the 
grave, the oldest, a little girl five years of age, sobbing as 
if her heart would break, said, "0, uncle, can't you 



508 



SKETCHES OF 



take up father and mother and take them with us to 
Ohio?" Her little brother, a year older, answered, " Su- 
san, don't you know father and mother will be as near to 
us in heaven, after we get to Ohio, as they are now? 
They will not forget us; they love us still, I know they 
do." The little one in his arms lisped, "Yes, I know 
my pa and ma love me any where." 

Thus died, and were buried in the red lands of Texas, 
as noble a couple as ever labored and suffered in the 
Methodist itinerancy, in the prime of life and the midst 
of their years. Both of these devoted missionaries were 
very highly esteemed, as far as they were known, in 
Texas, and Daniel was as widely known as any minister 
could be, in the length of time that he was there. Of 
his talents, as a minister, much might be said to his 
credit. He laid the foundation of a good education in 
his youth, under the direction of the late Dr. Enter, who 
was his warm, personal friend. He was a diligent and 
enthusiastic student through life, and most conscien- 
tiously did he observe the rule of a minister, which 
we have frequently heard him quote with solemn emphasis, 
"Never be unemployed, never be triflingly employed." 

He was in person almost gigantic, being six feet three 
and a half inches high, and weighing about two hun- 
dred and thirty pounds. He possessed uncommon ath- 
letic force and activity, and the whole energy of hisr 
powerful body and mind was devoted to his Master's 
work. His social qualities were such as to make him 
a favorite in every circle where he moved. In the 
wigwam of the Indian, and in the cabin of the Texan 
negro, as well as among the most refined in the higher 
walks of civilization, every-where he was beloved, and 
his ministry was crowned with many trophies, that no 
doubt will shine as stars with him in the kingdom of 
heaven forever. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



509 



Thus lived, and thus died one of the most zealous and 
indefatigable young preachers we ever knew. May God 
raise up many more such to carry the Gospel to re- 
gions beyond ! 



510 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THOMAS DRUMMOND. 

The subject of our sketch was born in Manchester, 
England, in the year 1806, and came to America with his 
father's family in 1811. His father sought a home in 
the west, the El Dorado of the emigrant, whose broad 
plains and rich soil invite the culture of the industrious 
yeoman. When quite a youth he devoted himself to the 
service of the Lord. He was not like many who think 
it quite sufficient for all the purposes of salvation to give 
the last sad remnants of their miserable lives to God. 

" A flower when offered in the bud, 
Is no vain sacrifice." 

How precious are the memorials of that heart whose 
early affections have been given to God ! Truly, as saith 
the inspired one, the ways of Religion "are ways of pleas- 
antness, and all her paths are peace — she is a tree of life 
to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one 
that retaineth her." In the twenty-third year of his 
age — being called of God — he entered upon the work of 
the ministry, and began earnestly and eloquently to plead 
with sinners to be reconciled to God. After exercising 
his gifts as a local preacher for the space of a year, and 
giving full proof of his call by the fruits which attended 
his labors, he was recommended for admission into the 
traveling connection, and accordingly received by the 
Pittsburg conference in the year 1831. 

His first appointment was to the Summerfield circuit, 
in the West Wheeling district, with the Rev. John W. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



511 



Minor. The next field of labor assigned him was the St. 
Clairsville circuit, where he continued one year; and at 
the expiration of his term he was sent to Pittsburg, with 
Dr. Martin Ruter for his colleague. The appointment 
of so young a preacher to a station of so much import- 
ance as Pittsburg, would necessarily lead one to infer 
that he not only had remarkable gifts, but that he had 
made astonishing progress in ministerial attainments, and 
such was the fact. Some preachers at first give but little 
promise, and develop slowly, yet in the end become 
learned, talented, and useful, even as stars in the right 
hand of Jesus, to shine upon the Church and the world. 
Others at once seem to flash over the horizon of life as 
the sun when he crosses the threshold of the ocean — 
first a circle of mellow light, and then a full burst of 
glory; but whether suns or stars, both have their ap- 
pointed spheres, and roll on fulfilling their high and holy 
destiny. In the Church of the apostles there was a Paul, 
an Apollos, and a Cephas; and the diversity of talent was 
made to subserve the most important purposes in the 
erection of the spiritual building. 

Drummond had rare and brilliant talents; and though 
but two years in the conference, and but three a preacher, 
he was regarded by the appointing power as adequate for 
so important a post. His next station was Morgantown, 
in Virginia, where he remained one year with great ac- 
ceptability and usefulness. At the conference which was 
held in Washington, in July, 1834, his heart was touched 
with the wants of the west; and filled with a missionary 
zeal, he volunteered for Missouri, and was stationed in 
the city of St. Louis. At that post he labored hard, ful- 
filling all the duties of a preacher and pastor up to June, 
1835, embracing a period little short of a year from the 
time of his transfer. On the Sabbath before his decease, 
though somewhat indisposed, he labored with more than 



512 



SKETCHES OF 



ordinary fervor. The dead and the dying were around 
him; for that dread " pestilence which walketh in dark- 
ness and wasteth at noonday," was spreading death and 
desolation in the ill-fated city. To prepare his hearers 
for the scourge, and to converse and pray with those who 
were grappling with the dread monster, taxed all his ener- 
gies to the utmost. Sabbath evening came ; but, alas ! 
the foe had seized the soldier of the cross himself — he 
was attacked with cholera, and all medical skill and 
attention were in vain. Monday closed the scene of 
conflict. The king of terrors aimed at length his fatal 
dart, and smote the saint; but he feared not the blow. 
The sting was extracted, and victory over death and hell 
was gained through faith in Jesus' blood. Just as his 
spirit was passing, he said to his weeping friends around 
him, " All is ivell ! Tell my brethren of the Pittsburg con- 
ference I died at my post." 

When the brethren met at their holy convocation, 
which was shortly after, there were weeping eyes and 
sorrowful hearts; but the message which they had re- 
ceived from the dying soldier cheered them on in the 
battle of the Lord. One of their number — one of Zion's 
sweetest minstrels — touched his lyre, and it sent forth a 
dirge pleasant but mournful. 

"Away from, liis home and the friends of his youth, 
He hasted, the herald of mercy and truth ; 
For the love of his Lord, and to seek for the lost ; 
Soon, alas ! was his fall — but he died at his post. 

The stranger's eye wept, that, in life's brightest bloom, 
One gifted so highly should sink to the tomb ; 
For in ardor he led in the van of the host, 
And he fell like a soldier — he died at his post. 

He wept not himself that his warfare was done — 

The battle was fought, and the victory won ; 

But he whispered of those whom his heart clung to most, 

* Tell my brethren, for me, that I died at my post.' 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



513 



He asked not a stone to be sculptured with verse ; 
He asked not that fame should his merits rehearse ; 
But he asked as a boon, when he gave up the ghost, 
That his brethren might know that he died at his post. 

Victorious his fall — for he rose as he fell, 
With Jesus, his Master, in glory to dwell ; 

He has passed o'er the stream and has reached the bright ^oast, 
For he fell like a martyr — he died at his post. 

And can we the words of his exit forget? 

! no, they are fresh in our memory yet ; 

An example so brilliant shall never be lost, 

We will fall in the work — we will die at our post." 

From this poet — the Rev. William Hunter, formerly 
editor of the Pittsburg Christian Advocate, and author 
of "Select Melodies" — we have received a sketch em- 
bracing some personal recollections of Drummond, which 
we subjoin : 

"Yours of the 17th ult. is before me, asking for rec- 
ollections of Rev. Thomas Drummond. I had no per- 
sonal acquaintance with brother Drummond. He was 
my senior by two or three years in the Pittsburg confer- 
ence, and left it for St. Louis at the close of my first 
year as a probationer. I never saw him but once ; that 
was at the conference in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 
1834. He came up to me before the conference door — 
having somehow associated my face and name together, 
as I had his — and said, in that free and peculiar manner 
which was characteristic of him, while he seized my 
hand, 'How are you, Hunter? We need no introduc- 
tion." He passed into the church, and I am not cer- 
tain that I ever saw his face again. I left the seat of 
the conference, perhaps, that day or the next; and he 
was transferred to Missouri, where he shortly afterward 
died. From that conference I was sent to Pittsburg, 
in company with T. M. Hudson and M. Simpson — now 
bishop. Thomas Drummond had been there with Doctor 



514 



SKETCHES OF 



Ruter, no 4- ' the preceding year, but the one before that. 
I consequently heard much of him, and can testify to 
the universal esteem in which he was held. Some of 
the good old members could scarcely cease talking about 
him. I can not at this date call up particular incidents 
related to me concerning him, during his labors in Pitts- 
burg. I can only state that the general impression made 
upon my mind by what I heard was, that he was quite a 
good preacher; studious in his habits, industrious in his 
pastoral work, and an exceedingly-agreeable companion 
in the social circle. He was a man of very kind feelings, 
although somewhat free and blunt in his manners. He 
was not one of those who continually wore a somber coun- 
tenance, as if to smile was a sin, or a little pleasantry 
an iniquity to be punished by the judges. He was a 
cheerful, vigorous, energetic man, doing his duty with a 
good will, a light heart, and a radiant countenance ; yet 
withal a man who entered deeply into the sorrows of 
others, visiting the sick and the needy, and ministering 
both to their temporal and spiritual wants. A poor wo- 
man, whom he had visited as a pastor, died happy in the 
Lord, leaving a little girl with no provision for her com- 
fort. Brother Drummond adopted her as his own — I 
believe her father was dead also — and made arrange- 
ments for her rearing and education j though I think 
that from the pecuniary burden of this he was relieved 
by the liberality of the late Mrs. Dumars, of Pittsburg, 
in whose bosom beat the kindest heart of woman, and 
who took the little girl, bringing her up as her own. The 
little girl used to call herself Mary Ann Cooper Drum- 
mond Dumars. She became a member of the Church, 
and is now a married woman, with a family of her own, 
and living in comfortable circumstances. This incident 
will illustrate one trait in brother Drummond's character — ■ 
his kindness and benevolence — the trait to which, per- 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



515 



haps, he fell a martyr in St. Louis during the cholera 
visitation there. 

"Brother Drummond was the first stationed preacher in 
the station which I now occupy — Morgantown, Virginia. 
The parsonage in which I am now writing was built 
under his superintendence. The trees in the yard were 
planted by him, from which succeeding preachers, since 
that time, have eaten fruit. He frequently laid off his 
clerical coat, and went to work at the parsonage himself* 
and so well was the financial part of the business man- 
aged, that when the work was done there was a dollar 
over; though some of the credit of this is also due to 
the well-known liberality of the Church here. 

"Here, as in Pittsburg, I have often heard brother 
Drummond spoken of in terms of kind remembrance. 
The families in which he boarded, especially, have a 
high appreciation of his worth. He was able in the pul- 
pit, faithful in pastoral visitations, diligent in the instruc- 
tion of the children, assembling them for catechetical 
exercises. He by no means confined his labors to the 
village; but had several appointments in the country 
round about, some of them as many as nine or ten miles 
out. There is a sweet little church a couple of miles 
out of town, now called Drummond Chapel, in memory 
of the fact that he was, perhaps, the first who established 
preaching in the neighborhood. The only week-day 
class that we have in the station is a female class, met 
by the preacher, composed generally of the older ladies of 
the Church. It was Drummond who formed this class, 
as he said, for his own especial benefit. There are some 
of the traces left by him in this, the last station which 
he occupied in the Pittsburg conference. I am not 
aware that there was any great revival in the place during 
his labors; but the Church was in a healthy and prosper- 
ous condition. I am told that he studied law, and passed 



516 



SKETCHES OF 



an examination on it while here. I know not that he 
intended ever to practice. It is more probable that his 
object was to qualify himself better for the work of the 
ministry, by increasing his knowledge of legal science. " 

How many burning and shining lights have suddenly 
been quenched in the darkness of death! How melan- 
choly the remembrance that the most talented and 
deeply-devoted in the ranks of the ministry are soonest 
called away from the walls of our Zion, while we are left 
to mourn their departure ! May we imitate their virtues 
and aspire after their glorious immortality ! 



WES TEEN" METHODISM. 



517 



CHAPTER XLII. 

INDIAN CAMP MEETING. 

In the year 1828, a short time after we left the Indian 
nation, we held a camp meeting at Messick's camp-ground, 
not far from Bellefontaine. To this meeting we invited 
the Indian brethren at the Wyandott mission. This 
invitation was generally acceded to, and the Indians came 
with their camping apparatus, to the number of one hun- 
dred and fifty. A place was assigned them for pitching 
their tents, so that they might all be as near together as 
possible. We have called this the "Indian camp meet- 
ing/' because, as the sequel will show, the exercises were 
mostly confined to the Indian department of the camp, 
and the Lord seemed to have selected our red brethren as 
the instrumentality, through which all the glorious re- 
sults that attended it were achieved. 

The Indians being more expert in pitching tents than 
the whites, they, of course, were ready at an earlier hour 
to engage in religious exercises. It is characteristic of 
the Indian to devote exclusive attention, for the time 
being, to whatever pursuit or employment he may take 
in hand. If it be fishing, or hunting, or sugar making, 
or corn planting, nothing else is allowed to interfere in 
the time allotted to these things. So in regard to re- 
ligion. The time devoted to God was the most sacred, 
and no people could unite with greater sincerity than 
they in singing those appropriate lines: 

" Far from my thoughts vain world begone, 
Let my religious hours alone." 



518 



SKETCHES OF 



Soon the Christian chiefs, and queens, and all, were 
formed into a circle, and the voice of praise and prayer 
made the forest arches ring. After singing one of their 
Christian songs, only as Indians can sing, they fell si- 
multaneously upon their knees and lifted up their faces 
toward heaven, as if they expected to see the Great Spirit 
descend in blessings from the parted skies. One of their 
number would lead in prayer, and when the Indian words, 
" tamentare," and " Homendezue" would escape the sup- 
pliant's lips, a deep amen would be uttered in concert by 
all the circle. 

The Indian has strong faith, and when he makes prepa- 
ration for a sacrifice to the Great Spirit, he expects with 
the utmost confidence that it will be accepted. So was it 
in this instance ; for while they were praying the Spirit 
came down upon them, and the power of God was mani- 
fested in the awakening and conversion of souls. As the 
shaking of the leaves in the tops of the mulberry trees 
was an indication to the prophet of the presence of God, 
so the excitement of the multitude engaged in prayer, as 
indicated by the tears, and groans, and shouts, was a sign 
that the Great Spirit was at work upon the hearts of 
these sons and daughters of the forest, and presently the 
tents of the whites were forsaken, and many might have 
been seen mingling with their red brethren and sisters 
in the exercises of the hour. From this hour, though so 
early in the meeting, the work of the Lord began, and 
the interest continued to increase and spread as the 
meeting progressed, till Saturday night, when the whole 
encampment was in a flame of religious excitement. 
There seemed to be no need of preaching or exhortation, 
the Lord having taken his own work into his own 
hands. All that the preachers and people had to do was 
to follow the leadings of the Spirit, and the hours passed 
away in singing and prayer, interrupted only — if, indeed, 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



519 



it may be called an interruption — by tbe loud cries for 
mercy, which rose from the burdened hearts of the kneel- 
ing penitents, or the louder shouts of praise to God for 
delivering grace, which rose up on the night air and re- 
echoed among the trees from the converted. The holy 
scenes and hallowed associations of that night of prayer 
among the Indians, will never be erased from our memory; 
and though many of our precious red brethren and sis- 
ters, who made that grove resound with their voices, have 
long since gone to join the innumerable company before 
the throne of God and the Lamb, yet we shall cherish 
the recollection of that hour till we too shall be sum- 
moned to the marriage feast above. 

Sabbath morning came. It was one of those beautiful 
Sabbaths of an Indian summer, which, by its soft and 
balmy nature, reminds one of the rest and blessedness of 
heaven. Not many miles from the camp-ground there 
lived an ungodly man, whose wife, though not a professor 
of religion, having heard of the meeting, was desirous to 
attend. She had never been to a camp meeting before, 
and her desire to attend, like that which actuates too 
many others, was simply to gratify her curiosity. It was 
with some considerable difficulty that she could get her 
husband's consent, for even backwoods wives in that day 
were accustomed to look up to their husbands for advice. 
She finally succeeded, however, as women generally do 
when they take the right course, in overcoming her hus- 
band's opposition. He agreed to stay home and mind 
the children while she would be absent, but commanded 
her to come home by the middle of the afternoon, on pain 
of getting a whipping. The poor woman, with the brutal 
threat resting over her head, arrived upon the ground at 
an early hour. Scarcely had she got within the circle of 
tents and taken her seat in the congregation, till she 
began to feel sad at heart. A wonderful power had 



520 SKETCHES OF 

taken hold of her mind. Her thoughts were carried back 
to the days of her youth; her early religious thoughts were 
awakened j tears began to flow, as her children and hus- 
band passed rapidly but vividly before her; her sins rose 
up in frightful, hideous forms to her excited imagination 
and conscience; and tears and sobs gave place to groans 
and cries for mercy. She soon became an object of at- 
tention, and prayers from many a sympathizing heart 
went up to God in her behalf. She had already remained 
beyond the time allotted her by her husband, but her 
heart was too much burdened to think of returning. 
She could bear reproach, and scorn, and scourging, but a 
wounded conscience was insupportable. Through the 
entire day she continued to plead for mercy, and when 
the shades of night were gathering around, and forest 
and tent were lighted up with the watch fires, and the 
voices of praise and prayer were swelling out in anthems 
and supplications to the God of heaven, she embraced 
the cross with all the fervor of her soul, and her burden, 
like that of Christian's in Buuyan's Pilgrim, rolled away 
from her and was lost in the tomb of forgetfulness. It 
was then that she passed from darkness to light, and frona 
the bondage of Satan to the liberty of the children of 
God. 

That night was spent in rejoicing, and when tho 
morning came, with a glad heart and free, she started 
home to meet her enraged and cruel husband. She was 
always amiable, but she met him that morning with a 
smile and a sweetness that only grace can spread over the 
features. With meekness and humility she told him of 
the cause of her detention, and concluded by a simple 
narration of what God had done for her soul. This, 
however, as is usually the case, only enraged him the 
more, and taking his wagon whip he beat her most se- 
verely. This she could have borne without religion, for 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



521 



it was nothing when compared with the lashes of a guilty 
conscience; but now that her soul was full of the love of 
G-od, with a martyr spirit she could have borne the tor- 
ture or the stake, in the name and for the sake of Jesus. 
From that hour the iron entered his soul only to be 
extracted by an omnipotent Hand. He raged like a 
maniac, and swore that he would take vengeance in firing 
the encampment that night. 

Night came, and this inhuman fiend started out under 
its cover to execute his fearful threat. When he arrived 
upon the ground the Indian brethren were engaged in a 
most glorious work. The groans of the penitent, and the 
shouts of praise of the converted, were mingled together, 
and the sound of the many voices was like the roar of the 
distant sea. While this sound waked the songs of heaven, 
it was a "dreadful sound " to that ungodly man, and car- 
ried, like the sound in the Assyrian camp, terror to his 
heart. He drew near. There was terror in his face and 
wildness in his eye as the watch-fire gleamed upon him, 
but his heart had lost its courage, and his arm its nerve. 
As he gazed upon the scene, like Belshazzar, in the 
court of Babylon, in sight of the mysterious characters 
of fire, which blazed out upon him, his knees trembled, 
his heart quaked, and he fell prostrate upon the ground, 
crying for mercy. He was picked up by an athletic In- 
dian, who fully understood the nature of his condition, 
and carried him into the circle. No sooner was the 
sturdy Saul prostrate before the Indians, than a volley of 
prayer went up in his behalf that almost rent the heav- 
ens. He was a prisoner, captured by one of the scouts 
of Immanuel's army, but he was wounded and dying. 
His captor bent down closely with his ear, to listen to his 
dying groans, and would say to him in Indian, "by 
and by." 

There lay the prostrate sinner pleading for mercy. 
44 



522 



SKETCHES OE 



The Indians stood by him, and sang and prayed till long 
past the noon of night. It was a desperate struggle, and 
seemed doubtful whether there was mercy for such a bold 
blasphemer and cruel persecutor. But just before day, 
when the stars began to fade in the light of the gray 
streaks of morning, God's mercy came, the long agony 
was over, and the blasphemer and persecutor was changed 
into a child of God; the heir of hell was made an heir 
of heaven. To the astonishment of all, after his first 
bursts of praise were over, he related his cruel conduct to 
his wife, and his intention, as a matter of revenge, of 
setting the encampment on fire. Some one present inter- 
preted his confession and experience to the Indians 
When he was through, the noble-hearted Mononcue 
stepped up to him, and taking him by the hand said, 
"Now, my white brother, God converted your wife, and 
you whipped her for it, and God has converted you. Go 
home and tell her what God has done for your soul, and 
let her take the same whip, if she desires so to do, and 
whip you in return. It is good that God has converted 
you both. Go in peace, and sin no more." This couple 
will never forget the Indian camp meeting. 

But these are not all the incidents connected with this 
camp meeting; there were others still more interesting 
and thrilling, the relation of which, however, would oc- 
cupy too much space for this chapter, and we shall reserve 
them for the next. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



523 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

CONVERSION OP AN INSPECTOR-GENERAL. 

At the Indian camp meeting, accompanied by her 
children, was a lady who claimed kindred with the na- 
tives of the forest, from the fact that, although her 
father and husband were white, yet her mother was a 
native of one of the Indian tribes. She was a most 
worthy, consistent, and zealous member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and had pitched her tent at the com- 
mencement of the meeting. She possessed much of the 
true Indian character of integrity and perseverance, 
conjoined with a large share of gentleness and benevo- 
lence. Her fidelity and devotion as a wife and mother, 
beautifully assorted with the entire consecration of her 
heart to God. In all the religious exercises she took an 
active part, and her labors and example were particularly 
beneficial to her Indian sisters in the Lord. 

Let us now call your attention to the husband of this 
devoted woman. Though wicked, unlike the case de- 
scribed in the foregoing chapter, he was not opposed to 
his wife on account of her religion ; but rather assisted 
than prevented her in the discharge of her religious 
duties. He had been a major in the militia; but on 
account of his military skill was promoted to the office 
of an Inspector-General. We have already seen that he 
did not accompany his wife to camp meeting, the reason 
of which was, that at the time he was out on a tour of 
duty, inspecting the various regiments and companies. 
As a military man none was more popular ; and his 



524: 



SKETCHES OF 



social, if not jovial disposition, led him to seek kindred 
society, and occasionally to partake of the festive cup, 
and enjoy a game of whist. These indulgences, how- 
ever, as we have already hinted, were mere episodes in 
his otherwise temperate and sober life. Would that it 
were the case with all ; but, alas ! how few know where, 
or have the power to stop with only an occasional indul- 
gence in drinking and gaming ! He had a respect for 
religious institutions, and would regularly attend, with 
his wife, at the log church. When Saturday evening 
arrived the General directed his course toward the camp- 
ground, where he arrived dressed in full military cos- 
tume. 

But we will leave him for a while in the religious 
marquee, enjoying the society of his family, and call 
your attention to a short history of his wife's family 
connections. Her father, Ebenezer Zane, in an early 
day, was taken prisoner by the Indians, and from his 
home, near Wheeling, Virginia, was removed to the 
west, where he was adopted by the Wyandott tribe, and 
raised to follow all the pursuits of an Indian life. A 
dark-eyed, blooming Indian maid won his youthful affec- 
tions — not by any of those arts of fashionable life, by 
which too many are decoyed in what are called the cir- 
cles of refinement, but by a native gentleness, simplicity, 
and beauty, which needs not foreign adornment and art 
to captivate. Suffice it to say, the two young and unso- 
phisticated hearts were united; and as the result of this 
union, and as pledges of its continued purity and genu- 
ineness, they were blessed with three sons and four 
daughters. We have not space to dwell upon their his- 
tory, only to say that all their daughters, in process of 
time, married white men. Their names were Keed, 
M'Culloch, and Armstrong — the youngest, as we have 
already seen, was married to General Long, Two of the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



525 



sons — Ebenezer, junior, and William — married Indian 
women, and the third — Isaac — married a white woman. 
This whole family were related to the Zanes at Wheeling, 
of whom there are some of the descendants still living. 
The Indian branch of this family were noted for sobriety, 
honesty, and respectability. They resided on Mad river, 
where a section of land was granted to them by the Gov- 
ernment. The family of which Mrs. Long was a mem- 
ber were all religiously inclined. It was at the house of 
the younger Ebenezer Zane that the first quarterly meet- 
ing was held in the Wyandott nation. Isaac was con- 
verted, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
continued till his death to exemplify, by his consistent 
deportment, the Christian profession. We have often 
heard him, in his broken Indian dialect, tell in love-feast 
and class meeting the wonders of redeeming grace and 
dying love. None could listen to the simple and touch- 
ing recital of his conversion without being deeply 
affected, and realizing of a truth that he was a child of 
God. 

M'Culloch, a brother-in-law, was a faithful and devoted 
Christian, and died in the triumphs of the Gospel. He 
left two sons, who followed in the footsteps of their par- 
ents. The elder son, Noah, yet lives to serve God and 
the Church. The younger became a reputable Baptist 
preacher. Sarah Zane married Robert Armstrong, who 
was taken prisoner by the Indians when a boy, and 
reared among the tribe. They had four children, two 
sons and two daughters, all of whom were sent to the 
mission school, at Upper Sandusky, when we had charge 
of the same. Hannah, one of the daughters, was con- 
verted while a member of the school. She was one of 
the most lovely and amiable children we ever knew; but, 
alas ! death, who loves a shining mark, aimed his fatal 
javelin, and the idol of her parents and our school was 



526 



SKETCHES OF 



smitten. She was just budding into womanhood when 
arrested by disease. Day after day we saw the bright 
and beauteous flower fade before us, and we knew she 
must die. Just before her death her weeping and dis- 
consolate father bent over her couch, and, placing her 
arm around his neck, she said, "Dear father, do not 
weep for me, I am going to God and heaven. Angels 
are waiting to take me home. You and mother, and 
brother and sisters will soon come after me, and then we 
shall all be happy forever. Farewell, dear father and 
mother! My Savior smiles, and bids me come." Then, 
with the sound of glory on her tongue, her sainted spirit 
passed away to the land of the blest. That little Indian 
girl would not have died had beauty and gentleness been 
a security against the shafts of death. But, as the little 
prophet said, the father and mother, and the younger 
son, John M'Intire, have gone to join her in heaven. 

But we must now return to the camp meeting. On 
Sabbath morning General Long was seen, in full military 
dress, in the congregation, and excited the attention of 
all, but more particularly his Indian friends. He was an 
attentive observer of all that transpired, and listened 
eagerly to all that was said. Those who knew him best 
saw, from his clouded brow, and his attempts to rally his 
spirits, that there was something pressing heavily upon 
his otherwise joyous and happy mind, and they were not 
much at a loss in conjecturing the cause. The Spirit of 
God was evidently at work in his heart. His affectionate 
wife and Indian friends were constant and earnest in pour- 
ing out their supplications in his behalf. His convictions 
increased, notwithstanding all his efforts to shake them 
off; and when Monday morning came, he was glad to 
avail himself of the opportunity his duties afforded in 
leaving for the muster-field, where companies awaited 
his inspection. He accordingly mounted his horse, and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



527 



started ; but his Christian friends did not give him 
up. They knew full well that God was at work upon 
his heart, and their anxieties were increased in the con- 
viction that a crisis had arrived in his history which 
would, in all probability, decide his destiny forever. One 
has said, 

" There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune." 

Especially is this true in regard to religion. There is a 
period in the history of every man, when it may be said 
of him individually, as it was said by the Savior to the 
scribe, on a certain occasion, " Thou art not far from the 
kingdom of heaven. ;; When the tide of Divine influ- 
ence is up, and waves of mercy are gathering around, 
then the soul may start out upon that flood for heaven ; 
but if this influence is resisted, the receding waves will 
bear away hope and happiness — it maybe forever. 

The General had not proceeded more than two miles 
on his journey till his feelings became almost insupporta- 
ble. He was alone, and there being nothing to divert 
his mind, he was shut up to himself, and a horror of 
darkness came upon him. To go farther he felt it would 
be impossible. The cords of an irresistible influence 
seemed to be drawing him back, and having reached 
their utmost tension he must yield or break that influ- 
ence forever. He turned his horse in the direction of 
the camp-ground, and rode rapidly back. When he 
arrived the congregation were assembled for the purpose 
of partaking of the holy communion. The elements of 
bread and wine had been consecrated by holy hands and 
prayer, and the pastor was inviting the flock to come for- 
ward to the rude altar, and participate in the eucharistic 
feast, which every want supplies. He stood and gazed 
upon the scene. He saw his beloved wife advance and 
kneel with the whites and Indians that crowded to their 



528 SKETCHES OF 

places; and as the minister said, "He that confesseth 
Jesus before men, shall be acknowledged by him in 
heaven j while he that denieth him shall also be denied 
at the judgment of the great day/' he felt that he had 
neither part nor lot in the matter, and that he must for- 
ever be separated from his dear wife and the society of 
all the good, and the scene and associations so affected 
him that he wept aloud. After the sacrament was ended 
the presiding elder addressed the congregation, touch- 
ingly alluding to the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, 
which had been presented before them in the passion 
and death of the Son of God, and concluded by inviting 
all such as were desirous of fleeing the wrath to come, 
and of being saved from their sins, to come forward, and 
kneel at the altar and pray for pardon. Scarcely had he 
ceased till anxious souls in large numbers pressed to the 
mercy-seat. The General was standing, in full military 
costume, at rest, with one hand upon the stake that sup- 
ported the altar-railing. His feelings were wrought up 
to the highest point of excitement, and unable any longer 
to restrain his emotion, which was raging with earthquake 
violence within his soul, he exclaimed, with a loud but 
tremulous voice, " Quarters ! quarters ! My God, quar- 
ters ! I yield j" and then fell his whole length upon the 
ground. He was soon surrounded by the godly, and 
borne into the altar. The excitement produced by this 
demonstration, among the whites and Indians, was tre- 
mendous ; and when they all fell upon their knees there 
went up such a storm of prayer as rent the very heavens. 
The General wept, and groaned, and prayed for the space 
of two hours, with a fervency that few ever prayed be- 
fore. He was a shrewd, intelligent Yankee — a descend- 
ant of the Puritans— and many were astonished at the 
appropriateness of his language in supplicating mercy. 
But see ! he ceases to pray, and quick as spark from 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



529 



smitten steel, the blessing descends ! Hark ! A shout, 
"Glory, glory!" in loud, full bursts, escapes from his 
lips. "Where am IV said the converted man. "I 
never saw so beautiful a place in all my life before." In 
an instant his wife, who alone had been pouring out her 
heart to God in her husband's behalf, was at his side, 
praising God for redeeming grace. They embraced with 
an affection they never knew before; for they were now 
one in Jesus. His Indian and white friends turned their 
prayers into praises, and united with the angelic throng, 

" Whose hymns of joy proclaimed through heaven 
The triumphs of a soul forgiven." 

He was greeted by the warm-hearted chief, Mononcue, 
who embraced him, and said, in broken English, " My 
brother, you must now fight for King Jesus." After his 

joy had somewhat subsided he found Judge lying 

in the altar, upon his face, weeping. Approaching him 
he said, " Judge, is this you? Get up and pray with all 
your might ; you will never obtain the blessing of pardon 
lying there. Get up and pray with all your heart, and 
God will bless you." 

The next day the General started for the muster-field. 
The officers had heard that he was converted, and had 
joined the Church. Many of them were not a little an- 
noyed at the intelligence; and though they no doubt 
secretly felt that he had done right, and wished them- 
selves in his condition, yet they resolved to put his relig- 
ious fit, as they called it, to an end, at least to test the 
genuineness and strength of his profession. They had 
to this end prepared a fine dinner, with the accompani- 
ments of wine, music, and cards. When the time for 
recess came he was ushered into a room decorated with 
national flags, evergreens, and flowers, where a sumptuous 
dinner was spread. Scarcely had he taken his seat before 
an officer — for whom the General had a great regard — « 
45 



530 



SKETCHES OF 



approached him with a flowing glass, which he presented, 
saying, " My dear General, you must be greatly fatigued 
with the arduous duties of the day; take a little wine, it 
will strengthen you." "No, my dear Colonel," said he, 
" not one drop shall pass my lips." By this time the 
eyes of all the officers were turned in that direction. It 
was the first trial, but nobly he met it. Raising his 
voice he said, "Fellow-officers and gentlemen, yesterday 
God, for Christ's sake, pardoned my sins, and I bave 
sworn allegiance to the King of heaven. By this oath I 
will live, and by it I will die; and now let me say, in all 
kindness, unless you repent of your wickedness you must 
perish in your sins; and here I most cordially invite you 
all to go with me this evening to the camp meeting, that 
there you may seek religion." Then, espying a pack of 
cards on an adjoining table, he added, "Nor will I ever 
throw another card, by the grace of God, as long as I 
live." These announcements, though by some antici- 
pated, yet to others were like claps of thunder in a clear 
sky. 

That dinner was eaten in silence, and not a drop of 
wine was drank or a card shuffled, and the hour passed 
away in peace and quietness. The General lived many 
years a consistent and devoted member of the Church, 
adorning the doctrines of God, his Savior; and as a sol- 
dier of the cross, when he came to die, he was enabled 
to say, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
course; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness, which God, the righteous Judge, shall give 
me." 

Many were the converts at that camp meeting, and the 
day of eternity will show, that of the whites and Indians 
who there embraced religion, the work was as genuine 
and lasting as that which characterized the conversion^ 
of General Long. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



531 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

PIONEER WOMEN. 

Historians may write of the brave and patriotic women 
of ancient times, of the mother of the Gracchi, and the 
mother of Napoleon, and Washington, and the more re- 
cent patriotic deeds of our Revolutionary mothers, who 
freely gave up their sons to fight the battles of liberty, 
and sacrificed every thing but their more than Roman 
virtue, in supporting our heroic fathers in the conflict for 
freedom; be it our pleasing task to record some of the 
achievements of our pioneer mothers in the west, whose 
zeal, and courage, and self-sacrificing devotion, afford 
specimens of a moral sublimity greater than was ever 
witnessed in the heroism of the patriot mothers of olden 
time. 

When the Rev. Rennet Maxey traveled as a missionary 
in Georgia, about the close of the Revolutionary war, the 
following incident occurred, which he related to me with 
his own lips. It will be recollected that nearly all that 
country was a wilderness, inhabited by savage Indians. 
There were but few Methodist societies, and they were 
widely separated. The missionary, in his long and peril- 
ous journeys, could only reach them occasionally, and in 
doing so would have to encounter almost as much toil 
and hardship as the emigrant now does in crossing the 
plains to California. Even then, with all his zeal and 
perseverance, there were some settlements that could not 
be reached without a reinforcement of missionary laborers 
In one of these settlements; six miles distant from each 



532 



SKETCHES OF 



other, there lived two pious women, who had emigrated 
to the country from the state of Maryland, where they 
had been converted and joined the Methodist Church. 
They felt the loss of the ministrations of the Gospel. No 
Sabbath brought with it its holy scenes and sanctuary 
privileges. The time of the people seemed to be occu- 
pied, on Sabbaths, in the sports of the chase, or in idle 
and frivolous amusements. While, however, the neigh- 
bors were engaged in the desecration of the holy Sab- 
bath, these two pious women agreed to meet half way be- 
tween their respective cabins, and hold a prayer and 
class meeting by themselves. Sabbath after Sabbath 
these devoted females walked to their appointment in the 
woods, and there, in the depths of that southern forest, 
with no eye to see but God, they spoke to one another 
about their trials, and conflicts, and hopes, and u the Lord 
hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrances was 
written before him." The voice of praise and prayer 
echoed through the wildwood. They not only prayed for 
themselves and their neighbors, but they besought the 
Lord that he would send the Gospel into that wild and 
destitute region. One Sabbath, while thus engaged in 
religious exercises, they were overheard by a hunter, who 
came unconsciously upon their retreat; and there, in the 
language of the poet, in that 

" Scene where spirits blend, 
And friend holds fellowship with friend," 

around that common mercy-seat, they united their sup- 
plications. It was holy ground, and a sacred awe 
came over him, as from the covert of a tree he listened 
to their praises and their prayers. This hunter's cabin 
was not far distant from the place of meeting, and every 
Sabbath he would, at the appointed time, take his station 
and listen to the soul-thrilling eloquence of their prayers 
and songs. He had not, though a roving hunter, been 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



533 



reared altogether without the influences of religion. His 
pious mother, long since in heaven, had taught him the 
fear of the Lord, and her instructions and prayers would 
cross his memory in his wild, erratic course, and like the 
recurrence of a pleasant dream awaken hallowed memo- 
ries. On a certain Sabbath he resolved to introduce 
himself to the strange, mysterious worshipers; and, ac- 
cordingly, after they had concluded their meeting, and 
were taking leave of each other to return to their homes, 
he appeared before them, and in tones of kindness in- 
vited them to meet at his cabin on the next Sabbath, and 
he would collect his neighbors. 

Here was a trial which they had not anticipated. But 
they regarded it as an interposition of divine Providence 
in their behalf; and though it would be a heavy cross, 
requiring the greatest amount of moral courage and en- 
durance, to meet the rough and sturdy backwoodsmen, 
and hold meeting in their midst, they must not deny 
their Master in refusing to enter this open door. It was, 
accordingly, noised abroad that two women were going to 
hold meeting at the hunter's house; and as the thing was 
entirely new, the whole neighborhood went. The hus- 
bands of the two pious and devoted women, not knowing- 
it was their wives, but being filled with curiosity at the 
singular announcement, were among the number of those 
who took their companions with them to the place of 
meeting. Their astonishment can better be imagined 
than described, when they saw them take their places in 
the cabin as the women that were to hold meeting on the 
occasion. One of them read a chapter in the Bible, 
which she did in a clear, strong voice, and then gave out 
a hymn, which was sung by the two and the congregation 
to some familiar tune ; after which they kneeled down, 
and the one who had read the Bible offered up a most 
fervent and deeply-impressive prayer to God, in behalf 



534 



SKETCHES OF 



of the congregation assembled. After prayer was over 
they united in singing one of those songs of Zion, with 
which they had made the woods ring at their Sabbath 
meetings previous. Many a heart was touched, as the 
divine strains rolled over the wondering assembly, and 
the tear stole down many a rough, sun-burnt face. When 
this was ended, the other rose tremblingly but firmly, as 
witb the heart of a giant, and commenced telling the 
plain, simple story of her conversion. As she spoke, her 
voice assumed a majesty and a power truly wonderful. 
God sent down his Spirit and attended it with power to 
the hearts of the audience; and first the hunter, and then 
the two husbands, unable any longer to repress their feel- 
ings, broke out in loud cries for mercy. Several, while 
she was speaking, fell, as if smitten with lightning, to 
the floor, others fled from the house in the greatest con- 
sternation. These pious sisters in the Lord were not 
frightened by this exhibition of divine power; for although 
it was farthest from their anticipations, yet they had been 
familiar with such scenes in the days of their youth. 
They knew " it was the Lord's doings, and it was mar- 
velous in their eyes," and they, therefore, commenced 
singing and praying with the slain of the Lord. It was 
not long till several were happily and powerfully con- 
verted to God, and this increased the power; and they 
were set immediately to work to pray for penitents and 
sinners. The work spread, mighty consternation fell 
upon all the people, and far and near, those who had not 
attended at the beginning flocked to the place of prayer. 
The hunter and his wife, and the two husbands were all 
converted, and the meeting continued with but little in- 
termission, night and day, for two weeks. It was what 
might properly and most significantly be denominated a 
protracted meeting. The news of the wonderful work 
flew as on the wings of the wind, to the distance of forty 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



535 



or fifty miles, when it reached the ears of brother Maxey, 
who immediately started for the scene. When he ar- 
rived, he found the two faithful female heralds of the 
cross still on the ground, fighting most manfully the 
battle of the Lord. They had already received forty new 
recruits, all converted and happy in the love of God, and 
they were all living, speaking witnesses for Jesus — not a 
still-born child in all their ranks. Scarcely had the 
itinerant reached the scene of action, than, like the old 
soldier, at the sound of battle, the power of God came 
on him, and he entered the ranks of God's army with a 
shout of victory and triumph. They at once recognized 
his spirit, and hailed him as a fellow-soldier; but how 
great was their rejoicing when they found him to be 
one of Immanuel's officers, in the great army of God! 
To him the sisters cheerfully intrusted the leadership, 
and he led them forth valiantly to glorious war. With a 
voice like a trumpet, and a love for God and zeal for 
souls which was like fire in his bones, he went from 
neighborhood to neighborhood proclaiming salvation, and 
the work spread and prevailed, so that before the revival 
ceased, it had covered a sufficient extent of country to 
form a good large circuit, in the entire bounds of which 
there never had been preaching before. 

And now, dear reader, what a field for reflection is 
here ! — a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, 
through the agency of two pious, heroic, Christian 
women. How many would have said, could they have 
witnessed these two devoted females, commencing their 
religious exercises at that meeting, where were crowds of 
ungodly men, collected from all parts of the country, and 
impelled by mere curiosity at the novelty of the thing, 
" How improper ! how unlike the decency and order which 
the apostle Paul enjoins should be observed in religioua 
worship ! And then, how shocking to delicacy, for women 



536 



SKETCHES OF 



to speak in public, especially in such a mixed assembly!" 
But we see in this, as in other similar manifestations, 
that God's ways are not as our ways; and that He who has 
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the 
mighty, and things that are naught to bring to naught 
things that are, that no flesh might glory in his presence, 
the excellency of the power being of God and not of man, 
selected those two females as the chosen instruments 
of his Holy Spirit, to bear the messages of mercy and 
salvation to that dark and destitute region. We are 
obliged to concede this, or to admit what is abhorrent to 
every Christian ; namely, that the Holy Spirit will sanc- 
tion and set its seal to a work brought about by improper 
agencies. 

Again : what Christian, who even believed that it 
was right and proper, and perfectly in accordance with 
that " decency and order" recommended by the apostle, 
for women to exercise their gifts in singing, and prayer, 
and Christian conversation or exhortation, would have 
had faith to believe that any good would have resulted 
from such a meeting ? Yet these Christian females had 
faith, and according to that faith so it was to them. Be- 
sides, the circumstances were such as to justify such a 
procedure. In their neighborhood there were no minis- 
ters of the Gospel, and no Sabbath and sanctuary privi- 
leges; and impressed by the Spirit to pray the Lord of 
the harvest that he would send forth laborers, they went 
to prayer, and God heard and answered in a way that 
they had not anticipated, and that human reason could 
not have divined. 

We will relate another incident of female devotion, 
which occurred in the bounds of the Ohio district. In 
the year 1817, while we were traveling with a fellow- 
itinerant, in passing along between the waters of Oil 
creek and Scrub Grass, which empties into the Alleghany 



"WESTERN METHODISM. 



537 



river above Pittsburg, we came in sight of an old dilapi- 
dated log church. The sight of an old church gone into 
decay, never fails to awaken in our minds many reflec- 
tions, and we never pass one without feeling an irre- 
pressible desire to understand something of its history. 
My companion being somewhat acquainted with the his- 
tory of this old church, related to me the following, in 
connection with the same : At an early day, in the set- 
tlement of that part of the country, which was then de- 
nominated the Holland purchase, a small Methodist so- 
ciety was organized by pioneer Methodist preachers. 
After some time the society built that log church, and 
flourished for several years. In progress of time, how- 
ever, some of the old members died, and were buried in 
the graveyard close by the sanctuaiy, and others moved 
away, till it was dropped from the list of appointments 
as a preaching-place, and only one member of the class 
and society remained. She was a mother in Israel, and, 
like the prophet, she was left alone to sigh over the deso- 
lations of Zion. She loved the old sanctuary, and though 
deserted, she seemed to realize an increasing attachment 
as time wrought its inroads upon its doors and windows. 
Invariably on the Sabbath, when her health and the 
weather would permit, did she repair to this deserted 
temple and worship her God. There, in holy meditation, 
did she recall the scenes of her youth, the holy seasons, 
happy days she had spent with her brethren and sisters, 
some of whom were sleeping quietly in the adjoining 
church-yard, while others were far away. Here she would 
sit, and read, and sing, and pray, and talk to her invisible 
God and Savior. At length, it was noised abroad that 
she was a witch, that the old church was haunted with 
evil spirits, and that she met there to hold communion 
with the spirits of darkness, and thus increase her power 
of evil over the bodies and souls of those around her. 



538 



SKETCHES OF 



She was old and feeble, and heard of their surmises, but 
she remembered that her Master was charged of being 
possessed by the devil, and she heeded them not, but 
continued her Sabbath visits to the consecrated place. 
At length, two wicked young men of the neighborhood 
determined to watch her, and entering the church some 
time before she arrived, they climbed up and secreted 
themselves in the clapboard loft. After remaining there 
a short time, the old lady entered the church and took 
her seat by the rude altar. The young men, as they after- 
ward related, experienced some sensations of fear, see- 
ing, as they supposed, the old witch draw from her side- 
pocket an old leather-enveloped book, but their fears soon 
subsided when they heard her read, instead of an invoca- 
tion to the spirits of darkness, the story of the widow of 
Sarepta. After she had finished, she drew from her 
other pocket an antiquated-looking hymn-book, from 
which she read that inimitable hymn, 

" Jesus, I my cross have taken, 
All to leave and follow thee ; 
Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, 
All I am is lost in thee." 

After having sung this beautiful hymn, which she did 
with a trembling, but sweet, melodious voice, she fell 
upon her knees and poured out her full heart to God in 
prayer and supplication. As friend holds fellowship with 
friend, so did she talk with her heavenly Father. She 
told the Lord all her complaints and grievances, and 
lamented the sad condition of the old and young of the 
neighborhood, who were alike on the road to perdition. 
She then alluded to the happy seasons she had enjoyed 
in that place, when Zion shed her holy light and converts 
crowded her gates. In piteous strains she lamented her 
desolations, and prayed that the Lord would build up her 
waste places, and again crowd her gates with living 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



539 



converts. She prayed especially for those who cast out 
her name as evil, that the Lord would change their hearts. 
She prayed, also, for the young and giddy multitude, who 
were forgetting God and living as if there were no hell 
to shun, no heaven to pursue. While she was praying 
God's Spirit was at work on the hearts of the young men 
on the loft, and they began to weep and cry for mercy. 
The old lady was not startled; she seemed to realize, while 
praying, an answer to her prayer; and as the Savior in- 
vited Zaccheus to come down from the tree, because on 
that day salvation had come to his house, so did she 
invite those young men to come down from their hiding- 
place. They obeyed her directions, and there at that 
altar, where, in other days, she had witnessed many con- 
versions, before that Sabbath sun sank behind the west- 
ern hills, they found pardon and salvation. From this 
hour the work of God commenced; the meetings were 
continued, and a nourishing Church was raised up, and 
the old dilapidated log meeting-house was again made to 
resound with the happy voices of the children of Zion. 



540 



SKETCHES OF 



CHAPTER XLV. 

THE INDIAN CHIEF, RHON-YAN-NESS. 

At the death of Rhon-yan-ness he was the oldest chief 
in the Wyandott nation. He was among the first that 
embraced the G-ospel, and became a convert to the relig- 
ion of Christ, among the Wyandotts. He was a great 
hunter, and first among the braves of his tribe, and was 
as much honored as a chief as any chief of any nation. 
Like Saul of Tarsus, who, as a brave and indefatigable 
opponent of Christianity, when converted, became equally 
courageous and persevering in the cause of Christ, so 
it was with this Christian Indian. There was no enter- 
prise, however hazardous, that he would not undertake 
for the interests of his nation before conversion; nor was 
there any danger he would not brave, or sacrifice he would 
not make, for the sake of Christ and his cause, after he 
had been made partaker of the grace of life. 

We will relate an incident which occurred in his life, 
that will serve to show, in some degree, his zeal and 
courage as an Indian, and will also illustrate several 
points in his character better, perhaps, than the most 
elaborate detail. Previous to the relation of this incident 
it will be necessary to refer the reader to a scrap of bor- 
der warfare. 

" About the middle of July, 1782, seven "Wyandotts 
crossed the Ohio, a few miles above Wheeling, and com- 
mitted great depredations upon the southern shore, kill- 
ing an old man, whom they found alone in his cabin, and 
spreading terror throughout the neighborhood. Within 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



541 



a few hours after their retreat, eight men assembled from 
different parts of the small settlement, and pursued the 
enemy with great expedition. Among the most active 
and efficient of the party were two brothers — Adam and 
Andrew Poe. Adam was particularly popular. In 
strength, action, and hardihood, he had no equal, being 
finely formed, and inured to all the perils of the woods. 
They had not followed the trail far before they became 
satisfied that the depredators were conducted by Big 
Foot, a renowned chief of the Wyandott tribe, who de- 
rived his name from the immense size of his feet, and 
his strength was represented as herculean. He had 
also five brothers, but little inferior to himself in size 
and courage; and as they generally went in company, they 
were the terror of the whole country. Adam Poe was 
overjoyed at the idea of measuring his strength with 
that of so celebrated a chief, and urged the pursuit with 
a keenness which quickly brought him into the vicinity 
of the enemy. For the last few miles the trail had led 
them up the southern bank of the Ohio, where the foot- 
prints in the sand were deep and obvious; but when 
within a few yards of the point at which the whites as 
well as the Indians were in the habit of crossing, it 
suddenly diverged from the stream, ,and stretched along 
a rocky ridge, forming an obtuse angle with its former 
direction. Here Adam halted for a moment, and directed 
his brother and the other young men to follow the trail 
with proper caution, while he himself still adhered to 
the river path, which led through clusters of willows 
directly to the point where he supposed the enemy to lie. 
Having examined the priming of his gun, he crept cau- 
tiously through the bushes, till he had a view of the 
point of embarkation. Here lay two canoes, empty and 
apparently deserted. Being satisfied, however, that the 
Indians were close at hand, he relaxed nothing of his 



542 



SKETCHES OF 



vigilance, and quickly gained a jutting cliff, which hung 
immediately over the canoes. Hearing a low murmui 
below, he peered cautiously over, and beheld the object 
of his search. The gigantic Big Foot lay below him in 
the shade of a willow, and was talking, in a low, deep 
tone, to another warrior, who seemed a mere pigmy by 
his side. Adam cautiously drew back, and cocked his 
gun. The mark was fair ; the distance did not exceed 
twenty feet, and his aim was unerring, liaising his rifle 
slowly and cautiously, he took a steady aim at Big Foot's 
breast, and drew the trigger. His gun flashed. Both 
Indians sprung to their feet with a deep interjection of 
surprise, and for a single second all three stared upon 
each other. This inactivity, however, was soon over. 
Adam was too much hampered by the bushes to retreat, 
and setting his life upon a cast of the die, he sprung 
over the bush which had sheltered him, and, summon- 
ing all his powers, leaped boldly down the precipice, 
and alighted upon the breast of Big Foot with a shock 
which bore him to the earth. At the moment of contact 
Adam had also thrown his right arm around the neck of 
the smaller Indian, so that all three came to the earth 
together. At that moment a sharp firing was heard 
among the bushes above, announcing that the other par- 
ties were engaged; but the trio below were too busy to 
attend to any thing but themselves. Big Foot was, for 
an instant, stunned by the violence of the shock, and 
Adam was enabled to keep them both down. But the 
exertion necessary for that purpose was so great, that he 
had no leisure to use his knife. Big Foot quickly recov- 
ered, and, without attempting to rise, wrapped his long 
arms around Adam's body, and pressed him to his breast 
with the crushing force of a boa-constrictor! Adam, as 
we have already remarked, was a powerful man, and had 
seldom encountered his equal } but never had he yet felt 



WES TEE N METHODISM. 



543 



an embrace like that of Big Foot. He instantly lelaxed 
his hold of the small Indian, who sprung to his feet. 
Big Foot then ordered him to run for his tomahawk, 
which lay within ten steps, and kill the white man while 
he held him in his arms. Adam, seeing his danger, 
struggled manfully to extricate himself from the folds 
of the giant, but in vain. The lesser Indian approached 
with his uplifted tomahawk ; but Adam watched him 
closely, and as he was about to strike, gave him a kick so 
sudden and violent as to knock the tomahawk from his 
hand, and sent him staggering back into the water. Big 
Foot uttered an exclamation in a tone of deep contempt 
at the failure of his companion, and raising his voice to 
its highest pitch, thundered out several words in the 
Indian tongue, which Adam could not understand, but 
supposed to be a direction for a second attack. The les- 
ser Indian now again approached, carefully shunning 
Adam's heels, and making many motions with his toma- 
hawk, in order to deceive him as to the point where the 
blow would fall. This lasted for several seconds, till a 
thundering exclamation from Big Foot compelled his 
companion to strike. Such was Adam's dexterity and 
vigilance, however, that he managed to receive the toma- 
hawk in a glancing direction upon his left wrist, wound- 
ing him deeply, but not disabling him. He now made a 
sudden and desperate effort to free himself from the 
arms of the giant, and succeeded. Instantly snatching 
up a rifle — for the Indian could not venture to shoot for 
fear of hurting his companion — he shot the lesser Indian 
through the body. But scarcely had he done so when 
Big Foot arose, and placing one hand upon his collar, 
and the other upon his hip, pitched him ten feet into 
the air, as he himself would have pitched a child. Adam 
fell upon his back at the edge of the water; but before 
his antagonist could spring upon him, he was again upon 



544 



SKETCHES OF 



his feet, and stung with rage at the idea of being han- 
dled so easily, he attacked his gigantic antagonist with a 
fury which, for a time, compensated for inferiority of 
strength. It was now a fair fist fight between them ; for 
in the hurry of the struggle neither had leisure to draw 
their knives. Adam's superior activity and experience 
as a pugilist gave him great advantage. The Indian 
struck awkwardly, and finding himself rapidly dropping 
to leeward, he closed with his antagonist, and again 
hurled him to the ground. They quickly rolled into the 
river, and the struggle continued with unabated fury, 
each attempting to drown the other. The Indian being 
unused to such violent exertion, and having been much 
injured by the first shock in his stomach, was unable to 
exert the same powers which had given him such a de- 
cided superiority at first; and Adam, seizing him by 
the scalp-lock, put his head under water, and held it 
there till the faint struggles of the Indian induced him 
to believe that he was drowned, when he relaxed his 
hold, and attempted to draw his knife. The Indian, 
however, to use Adam's own expression, 'had only been 
possuming V He instantly regained his feet, and in his 
turn put his adversary under. In the struggle both were 
carried out into the current, beyond their depth, and each 
was compelled to relax his hold and swim for his life 
There was still one loaded rifle upon the shore, and each 
swam hard in order to reach it; but the Indian proved the 
most expert swimmer, and Adam, seeing that he should be 
too late, turned and swam out into the stream, intending 
to dive, and thus frustrate his enemy's intention. At this 
instant Andrew, having heard that his brother was alone, 
in a struggle with two Indians, and in great danger, ran 
up hastily to the edge of the bank above, in order to 
assist him. Another white man followed him closely, 
and seeing Adam in the river, covered with blood, and 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



545 



Bwimming rapidly from shore, mistook him for an Indian, 
and fired upon him, wounding him dangerously in the 
shoulder. Adam turned, and seeing his brother, called 
loudly upon him to ' shoot the big Indian upon the 
shore/ Andrew's gun, however, was empty, having just 
been discharged. Fortunately Big Foot had also seized 
the gun with which Adam had shot the lesser Indian, so 
that both were on an equality. The contest now was who 
should load first. Big Foot poured in his powder first, 
and drawing his ramrod out of its sheath in too great a 
hurry, threw it in the river, and while he ran to recover 
it, Andrew gained an advantage. Still the Indian was 
but a second too late, for his gun was at his shoulder 
when Andrew's ball entered his breast. The gun drop- 
ped from his hands, and he fell forward on his face upon 
the very margin of the river. Andrew, now alarmed for 
his brother, who was scarcely able to swim, threw down 
his gun, and rushed into the river, in order to bring him 
ashore j but Adam, more intent upon securing the scalp 
of Big Foot as a trophy than upon his own safety, called 
loudly upon his brother to leave him alone and scalp the 
big Indian, who was now endeavoring to roll himself in 
the water, from a romantic desire peculiar to the Indian 
warrior, of securing his scalp from the enemy. Andrew, 
however, refused to obey, and insisted upon saving the 
living before attending to the dead. Big Foot, in the 
mean time, had succeeded in reaching the deep water 
before he expired, and his body was borne off by the 
waves, without being stripped of the ornament and pride 
of an Indian warrior. 

" Not a man of the Indians had escaped. Five of Big 
Foot's brothers, the flower of the Wyandott nation, had 
accompanied him in the expedition, and all perished. It 
is said that the news of this calamity threw the whole 
tribe into mourning. Their remarkable size, their courage^ 

46 



546 



SKETCHES OF 



and their superior intelligence, gave them immense influ- 
ence, which, greatly to their credit, was generally exerted 
on the side of humanity. Their powerful interposition 
had saved many prisoners from the stake, and had given 
a milder character to the warfare of the Indians in that 
part of the country. A chief of the same name was 
alive in that part of the country so late as 1792 ; but 
whether a brother or son of Big Foot is not known. 
Adam Poe recovered of his wounds, and lived many years 
after his memorable conflict; but never forgot the tre- 
mendous 'hug' which he sustained in the arms of Big 
Foot." He was the grandfather of Adam Poe, present 
Assistant Agent of the Book Concern. 

The great loss sustained by the Wyandott nation in the 
death of the Big Foot brothers, created an implacable 
hatred in every heart toward their destroyers. Many an 
Indian malediction had been poured out upon the head 
of Adam Poe, and many a prize had been offered for his 
scalp. His place of residence, which was on the west 
bank of the Ohio river, at the mouth of Yellow creek, 
was known to the Wyandotts. It seemed, however, that 
none of the nation possessed sufficient courage to encoun- 
ter, single-handed, this foe of the redman, whose strength 
was considered equal to that of Big Foot himself. At 
length, having determined to wait no longer in seeking 
to be revenged of the death of their Goliah, the nation 
made choice of their bravest warrior, in the person of 
Bhon-yan-ness, one of their chiefs. Having made all 
the preparations necessary for the accomplishment of the 
fearful mission intrusted to him by his nation, he started 
out on foot for the residence of Poe. After passing 
through the then wilderness of Ohio, he at length 
reached the creek, which emptied into the Ohio, on the 
bank of which his intended victim lived. No sooner, 
however, had he placed his foot within the door of the 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



54:7 



brave backwoods hunter than ho was received with the 
utmost cordiality and friendship, while every hospitality 
that the cabin afforded was, with true pioneer generosity, 
tendered to the Indian guest. When the time for retir- 
ing to rest had come, there being but one room and one 
bed, Poe made a comfortable pallet for the Indian on the 
floor by the fire, after which he and his wife retired to 
rest, without any suspicion whatever in regard to the 
designs of the Indian. It was now a time of peace, and 
the Indians, particularly the Wyandotts, were regarded 
as friendly. It was not long till they both fell asleep, 
when Rhon-yan-ness rose stealthily from his couch, and 
proceeded cautiously, with his tomahawk and scalping- 
knife, to the bedside of the unconscious sleepers. 
Scarcely had he arrived at the spot than the kindness 
of his host flashed upon his mind. " How," thought he, 
"can I perpetrate an act of so much cruelty upon one 
who has taken me into his wigwam, and treated me with 
so much friendship V The better feelings of his nature 
overcame him, and finding it impossible to commit an 
act which, though it might bring honor to him from his 
nation as the avenger of the death of Big Foot, he could 
not nerve himself up to such a pitch of desperateness as 
to obliterate all the gratitude of his heart. Enemy as 
Poe had been to his nation, yet he could not think of 
imbruing his hands in his blood, and with these thoughts 
he crept back softly to his bed. He had not lain long 
till the question came up before him in a somewhat dif- 
ferent aspect, and his thoughts took a turn something 
like the following: "Have you not been solemnly set 
apart by the nation to avenge the death of its bravest 
warrior? and will not the ghost of the departed haunt 
you in your chase in the wilderness, and in your mid- 
night slumbers, till it is appeased by the death of Poe? 
Does not your religion require you to execute vengeanco 



548 



SKETCHES OF 



as the agent of the Great Spirit? and will he not frown 
upon you if you fail to do the work of death 1" At this 
Rhon-yan-ness again seized his deadly instruments, and 
sprang to his feet. It was now past midnight, and all 
was still. No sound could be heard but the gloomy hoot 
of an owl, which had nestled in some tree in the sur- 
rounding forest. The light of the fire had gone out, and 
there were only a few burning coals left upon the hearth, 
from which was emitted a kind of twilight glare that en- 
abled him to gaze upon the features of his victim. Sum- 
moning all his courage he raised the fearful tomahawk, 
and was about to bury it in the head of his host, when 
something whispered, "Shame on the Indian that can 
strike a friend. Mean and cowardly is the warrior who 
would kill even an enemy that has treated him kindly." 
His heart faltered, his hand trembled, and the tomahawk 
fell by his side. Without disturbing the family he re- 
turned to his pallet, and, dismissing all thoughts of 
revenge, he slept soundly till morning. 

Poe rose early and made his fire, without disturbing 
his guest, who was in a heavy slumber. When it was 
fully day, and the bright fire blazed around, he had an 
opportunity of gazing upon the broad, open features of 
the manly Indian whose giant form was before him. 
There he lay, with his tomahawk and scalping-knife by 
his side. Poe understood enough of the Indian charac- 
ter to know that in the days of peace they were capable 
of the most sincere and lasting friendship; and though 
he had measured arms with them in the deadly strife, 
they were more sinned against than sinning, and whatever 
cruelties they may have committed, were excited by the 
depredations of the white man : hence he loved the In- 
dian, and had often bewailed the unhappy fate of Big 
Poot and his brothers. Anxious to enjoy the society of 
his Indian guest he approached him, and gently touching 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



549 



him, said softly, "Wake, brother, wake; the morning 
has come/' The Indian sprang to his feet instantly, 
and, seizing him by the hand, bestowed his Indian bless- 
ings. After again partaking of the humble but bounte- 
ous fare of the cabin, he made ready for departure. As 
he was leaving Poe furnished him with provisions for his 
journey, and, taking him by the hand, said, " Once we 
were at war, and were enemies ; but now we are at peace, 
and are friends. We have buried the hatchet, and are 
brothers. Let us live in peace and brotherhood." Hhon- 
yan-ness was too much overwhelmed with a sense of 
gratitude for the goodness of his heart to make any re- 
ply; but the big tear which rolled down his bronze 
cheek told the sincerity of grateful emotion, and he left 
to join his nation on the distant plains of Sandusky. 

He often told us that was a happy day in his life, and 
the more he thought and reasoned about the course he 
had pursued the more he was convinced that he had 
acted right. Not long after his return to his nation he 
became interested in the missionary labors among his 
people; and the wonderful story of the white man's God, 
as he came to earth and suffered and died for sinners, 
deeply affected his heart. Soon this bold, intrepid chief 
renounced his Indian religion and forms of worship, and 
embraced Christianity. He was soundly and happily 
converted to God, and became a burning and a shining 
light in the midst of a dark and perverse nation. Being 
now in Christ he was a new creature ; old things had 
passed away, and all things had become new. He felt 
upspringing in his heart that love which worketh no ill 
to its neighbor, but makes its possessor kind, and gentle, 
and forgiving; and which teaches that " whomsoever 
hateth his brother is a murderer," in the eye of the holy 
law, as effectually as if he had plunged the fatal knife 
into his heart. lie took a bold stand in religion, and as 



550 



SKETCHES OF 



a class-leader and steward he rendered efficient service 
to the mission. Three years after his conversion he real- 
ized a maturity of Christian grace, which enabled him to 
rejoice in that perfect love which casts out all tormenting 
fear. His life was hid with Christ in God, and he walked 
as seeing Him who was invisible. His whole life was 
unblamable, and his character as a Christian irreproach- 
able; and we never knew a Christian in any nation, or 
among any people, more innocent, guileless, and happy 
than Rhon-yan-ness. Rooted and grounded in love he 
was steadfast in his profession, and labored hard to ele- 
vate and improve his nation. His powerful influence as 
a chief was brought to bear upon the heartless trader, 
who would come among the Indians with his fire-water ; 
and rob them of their brains and furs. The Indians 
have been cruelly treated, and it is high time the Gov- 
ernment should interpose more effectually its authority 
in their behalf. How much we owe them as a nation 
none can tell; but it is high time that some move was 
made to repay the debt. We were deeply and intensely 
thrilled at the last anniversary of the Parent Society, 
which was held in this city, by the speech of Bishop 
Janes, who has charge of the Indian missions. It was 
so true, so appropriate, and so fearless that we would, 
had we space, hand it down to posterity as the testimony 
of the Church in behalf of our native red brethren. 

After being a member of the Church militant for a 
period of sixteen years, Rhon-yan-ness was called to join 
the Church triumphant. He has attended a quarterly 
meeting at the mission on Sabbath, and while, as a stew- 
ard, he was handing round the bread in love-feast, as em- 
blematic of universal charity, he seemed to be unusu- 
ally happy. When relating his Christian experience, in 
which he referred to his interview with Adam Poe, he 
thrilled every heart with the story of redeeming love. 



WESTERN METHODISM. 



551 



Raising his streaming eyes toward heaven, he clapped his 
hands, and shouted in prospect of his long-sought home. 
Two days after this meeting he was called by the Master 
to enter his inheritance above, and full of faith and holy 
triumph he passed away to the spirit-land. 



THE END. 



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